


After the Coming

by alexis (of_too_minds)



Series: The Coming [2]
Category: Dark Angel
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-07
Updated: 2014-02-07
Packaged: 2018-01-11 13:27:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 50,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1173594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/of_too_minds/pseuds/alexis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to “Then It Comes To Be.” The cult loonies are gone but the transgenics have other problems to deal with, not to mention a whole civilization to build.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this when I was deep in my I-hate-Logan phase. Consequently he comes off really badly. If you love the character, this is probably not the fic for you.

Alec woke up early. He’d only got a couple of hours sleep but he felt fine. Must be from having Max’s blood running through his veins. He hoped the effect wasn’t permanent – he liked sleeping in too much to do without it forever. The other half of his bed was empty which meant that as early as it was, Max was already up. She’d crashed at his place last night. Nothing else in his life had ever felt so right as her curled up against him. Of course, it would’ve felt even better if they’d been naked and making out, but that was a line they weren’t going to cross yet. Something had happened between them but she wasn’t ready to act on it until she worked things out with Logan. He could understand that, sort of. If he’d been feeling better he might have tried tempting her. He smiled. Then again, he’d learned from experience that disagreeing with Max usually led to getting punched. Hard. He stretched and hissed as the movement pulled at his side.

 

He never got out of bed this early unless someone was shouting roll call. What was he supposed to do? He looked around his room. Nope, nothing there. No tv, no stereo, not even a book. Bored, he got dressed and wandered out onto the street. He leaned against a wall and surveyed his surroundings in disgust. The party was over, and now there was even more crap littering the streets. Terminal City was a dump. Alec grimaced. He’d always had this thing about being clean. Came from too many years of being punished for the slightest speck of dirt on his uniform.

 

He watched as more and more transgenics emerged onto the street and wandered aimlessly around TC. They had no where to go and nothing to do. Several hundred bored transgenics was not a good thing. Someone had better give them something to do, and fast.

 

He sauntered into HQ. Dix and Joshua were watching daytime tv. One of Mole’s half-finished cigars was still on the table where he’d stubbed it out the night of the attack. Alec was surprised by how much he missed the lizard guy. They hadn’t known each other very well, but Alec had liked his attitude. Particularly the way he pissed Logan off with his gung-ho, kill-all-the-humans spiel.

 

“So what do we do now that the baddies are gone?” Dix asked Alec.

 

“I dunno about you, but I’m tired of living in a dump. I want running water and electricity. And a bar. Max needs to organize something. When’s her conference with the governor?”

 

“Should start soon, but it could take a while. Humans like to talk a lot.”

 

“Yeah, some more than others,” Alec said, thinking of Logan. “Well, this can’t wait. I’m gonna organize crews to start the clean up. Max can take over later, after the messy part’s done.”

 

Alec scribbled a note on the message board outside HQ, calling for a general meeting after breakfast. Max might yell at him for taking over command, but something had to be done. He was tired of living in filth.

 

* * *

 

Alec stood and whistled sharply through his teeth to get everyone’s attention. He could have snapped out an order but that was too much like Manticore. He got instant quiet, partly due to their training – old habits die hard, and failure to listen attentively to a commanding officer was a big no-no at Manticore. But mostly it was due to the respect they had for him.

 

“So, anyone else notice this place looks like crap?” A few laughs. “Terminal City is our home now. I say it’s time we make it look like one.”  They nodded, and few even clapped.

 

“Alright, I want mechanics, engineers, and anyone else who has a clue how to fix or build things on my right. You’re with Dix. See if you can restore power and water. Medics and other science-geeks, you’re on my left. Check out the medical facilities. There might be something worth salvaging from the junk in the labs. Weapon specialists, you’re at the back. Who knows, we may still need to defend ourselves, and we better know what we’ve got on hand. Most of it is over by HQ. Anyone under 10, up front. You’re my gophers.” That left most of the X-6s. Alec grinned at them. “You’re with me. Sorry guys, we’re grunt work.”

 

Alec stared thoughtfully at the blank wall behind him. ‘ _What the hell,_ ’ he thought. ‘ _We can always paint over it later._ ’ He grabbed a magic marker and scribbled MEDICAL SUPPLIES, WEAPONS, REPAIR PARTS and MISC on the wall. He added FOOD and BOOZE below MISC. That got a few more chuckles.

 

“Anything we’re missing, add it to the list. We’ll go shopping later. Any questions? Alright, let’s go.” The transgenics moved to their designated areas.

 

Alec turned to the waiting X-6s. “We need to clean this place up and do a full inventory. Later we’ll find something more suited to your talents. We’ll start from here and move outwards block by block. Divide into groups. If you find something that can be fixed, send a gopher to the mechanics. Same goes for any medical equipment. See what buildings are habitable.”

 

“Yes, sir!”

 

“Don’t do that. This isn’t Manticore. Call me Alec.” He gestured randomly at a group of 6s. “You’re with me.”

 

Logan left the meeting and hurried inside HQ to find Max. Living with them day to day he’d quickly realized that Max had lied when she told him she was with Alec. She’d only said that to push him away and keep him from getting killed. But he’d spent a lot of time watching the two of them when he thought they were together, and he’d seen the chemistry between them. He was terrified that he might still lose her to the transgenic. He had to make her realize that Alec wasn’t the best person to be around. Alec wasn’t reliable, not the way he was.

 

Max had just finished talking to the governor. She was trying to convince him to talk to the president on their behalf. He was stalling, waiting to see which way the political wind was blowing. The transgenics had saved the city so they were owed something, but he wasn’t about to risk his chances of re-election by backing the wrong horse. Plus he wanted to know what the FBI and NSA were telling the president before he barged in asking for clemency for people who probably wouldn’t be allowed to vote anyway.

 

“Max, you have to do something about Alec. He’s organizing clean-up crews, telling people what to do.”

 

Max stared at Logan, puzzled by how upset he was. “So? Logan, we need to clean this place up, make it liveable. Why shouldn’t Alec get things going?”

 

“He’s taking over, Max. He’s acting like he’s in charge.”

 

“And what’s wrong with that?”

 

“Max! This is Alec we’re talking about. He’s irresponsible. He’s a screw up. He’ll get bored.”

 

“Logan!” she interrupted, exasperated. “There’s a lot more to Alec than you think. He was an officer back at Manticore. The X’s know him, they trust him. They don’t really trust me.” Logantried to interrupt at that, but she kept going. “No, listen to me. After I went rogue they were trained to hate me. It’s hard to get over that. The only reason they listen to me at all is because of those stupid runes. Besides, we have to a society to build here, and I don’t have time right now to organize everything.” She got up and walked away, frustrated by his animosity toward Alec. Logan was always quick to slam him, see only the worst in him. At least Alec kept his opinion about Logan to himself.

 

* * *

 

It took them two days to do a complete inventory of Terminal City. Most of what they found was junk but some of it was salvageable. The back wall at HQ was covered with the list of items they needed. Max emerged from the computer room to find Alec staring at the wall and scribbling notes on a pad. He was trying to prioritize their immediate needs. Max was taken back by the sheer number of things they needed to acquire. She leaned against the conference table. “Please tell me that’s not the list of what we need.”

 

“Ok, I won’t.” Alec grinned at her and went back to making notes.

 

“It’ll cost a fortune,” she said in dismay.

 

“Yeah, but it’s not like we need everything tomorrow. Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered.”

 

“Of course you do.”

 

Distracted by all the thoughts running through his head, Alec misjudged Max’s tone. He thought she was being sarcastic. He snapped his head up, a hurt look showing in his eyes. “I won’t screw this up, Max.”

 

“I know.” She was momentarily surprised by the hurt look on his face, until she remembered all the times she’d yelled exactly that at him. She’d never realized before that it actually bothered him. He’d always shrugged off her comments with a grin. Her face softened. “You’re not a screw up Alec. I never should have said that you were. It was just easier to yell at you than admit that I cared what happened to you.”

 

He gave her a sceptical look, not really believing her. Rather than talk about it, he tossed his pad and pen on a nearby chair and walked over to stand in front of her, a wicked grin on his face. “So you care about me, hun? I dunno. I think you need to show me.” His arms went around her and he bent his head. He teased her by gently brushing her lips with his before he kissed her deeply. Max’s legs went weak at his touch and she was grateful for the solid table behind her, holding her up. Her head spun as he deepened the kiss. One of his legs slid between hers, and she clung to his shoulders. She leaned back against the table, pulling Alec down on top of her.

 

Alec could barely think straight. He could feel her breasts pressing against his chest. The taste of her after waiting so long was making him dizzy. He wanted nothing more than to pick her up and carry her to his bed, but a small voice whispered inside his head, ‘ _what if she’s thinking of Logan right now?_ ’ He groaned in frustration. He didn’t want it to be like this. He refused to be the substitute. She had to resolve things with Logan and then come to him, otherwise he’d always be wondering. He forced himself to let go and take a step back, and then another. She whimpered, and he jammed his hands in his pockets to stop himself from reaching for her. “I should make some calls,” he said, his voice shaking slightly.

 

“Yeah, me too.” She smiled weakly at him and walked slowly from the room. He watched her go, not trusting himself to move until she was gone, in case he ran after her instead of out the door. He heard someone chuckle behind him and spun around. It was an X-5 named Conner. They’d worked together on a couple of missions at Manticore. He grinned at Alec. “You play with fire, you’re gonna get burned.”

 

Alec groaned. “God I hope so. Don’t say anything to Logan, ok? It’s complicated.”

 

“Why would I? The guy’s not one of us.”

 

* * *

 

Max collapsed at her desk in her office. Her hands were shaking. She needed him, wanted him, and that thought terrified her. All her life she’d run from emotional attachments, and now she was too afraid to take the leap. Which was why she hadn’t said anything to Logan yet. He was her excuse. But that wasn’t fair, to either of them. Alec had pulled back because he wouldn’t settle for being the replacement. She’d seen in his eyes what it had cost him to stop kissing her. She wanted him to force the issue and make the decision for her, but deep down she knew that she had to be the one to make the choice. ‘ _No,_ ’ she thought to herself, ‘ _I’ve already made my choice. I just have to act on it_.’

 

* * *

 

Alec glanced around the table and grinned at the X’s and freaks he’d summoned to the morning meeting. “Morning people. We got a million things to get done around here and several hundred transgenics to keep busy. So Dix and I have set up a schedule. You guys are section heads. Dix, Luke, you’re HQ support staff. Keep doing what you’re doing. This place would fall apart without you two.” They nodded, pleased by the public praised for their contribution. At Manticore they’d always been overshadowed by the more powerful X-series.

 

Alec turned to Joshua. “Hey big fella, you’re in charge of supply distribution. Food, clothing, furniture – whatever. Just make sure it gets distributed fairly. Covert one of the undergroundparkades. That should give you enough room. And keep me posted daily on what we need.” Joshua grinned, his mouth hanging open.

 

“Max. Sorry, you’re stuck with public relations for now.” Max rolled her eyes and nodded. “I’ll see if I can round up someone from Psy Ops to give you some pointers on how to be persuasive without hitting anyone.” Everyone except Logan chuckled at that.

 

“Don’t even go there,” she said with a mock glare.

 

Alec deliberately skipped over Logan and turned to the X-5s sitting on the other side of the table. He knew them from Manticore and had chosen them because they were very good at what they did. “Leda,” he said to a petite redhead, “you’re in charge of medical and research. And the nursery, until we can find someone else. We should have most of the supplies you need soon, but keep me posted.”

 

He turned to the second girl. “Jazz, you’re in charge of repairs, which includes clean up. Let me know what you need.” She nodded, her black pigtails bobbing.

 

He grinned at the two X5 males. “Conner, Blink, you’re our weapons specialists. You’re also in charge of perimeter security. We got a couple of ways outta here, but we need more. We also need to keep tabs on the sector police – their patrol route, the schedule, all of it. Oh and Blink, you’re our recon leader, if and when we need it.” Blink gave him a wolfish grin.

 

“So that leaves acquisitions and tactics for me. But you can all be seconded to any other section as needed. Any questions? Ok, let’s go inform the masses.”

 

They all stood and filed out after Alec. The transgenics had assembled outside HQ, as requested. Alec sauntered to the front of the crowd and grinned at them all. They fell silent and waited respectfully for their orders from the man they all considered to be their commander.

 

“Listen up people. Dix and Luke are posting schedules now. You’ve all been assigned to a work crew. These are your section heads. We’ve tried to work with your known skills but if you have a preference or a specialty we don’t know about, tell Dix and he’ll change your assignment. Also, from now on I want everyone to spend time each day training or sparring. We may have smashed the cult but we still have enemies out there and we can’t afford to get sloppy. I want to see the X-8s after lunch. Hop to it people.”

 

Alec turned away before they had a chance to even consider saluting them. That was one habit he wanted to break. They might need the structure provided by a chain of command but this wasn’t Manticore. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Logan grab Max by the arm and start whispering hoarsely in her ear. He could tell by her posture that she was getting angrier by the second. Briefly he considered barging in on their conversation but then he shrugged. Whatever it was, Max could handle it. And he wasn’t that interested in finding out what Logan was pissed about now. Alec walked back into HQ.

 

Logan listened in amazement as Max just stood there while Alec addressed the crowd. Letting him organize clean-up crews was one thing, but now she was actually taking orders from him. ‘ _What’s wrong with her?_ ’ he thought in dismay.

 

“Max!” he said urgently, grabbing her arm. “You can’t just sit there and let him make all the decisions for you!”

 

She glared at him. She was not in the mood to debate this with him again. “Soldiers don’t question their CO’s orders,” she hissed. “It’s not good for morale.”

 

He stared at her in astonishment. “You actually think of Alec as you’re CO? My god, Max. Come off it.”

 

“Why not? He’s so much better at this than I could ever be. He’s got 10 years training on me. You think they spent the whole time teaching him how to throw a punch? He can handle this. I can’t. Solo missions I can deal with, but this is beyond me. He knows things I don’t. But one thing I do know is that you never put the weakest member of the unit in charge.”

 

“But Max,” he pleaded, desperately trying to get her to see it his way. “Remember the runes. You were chosen.”

 

“But THAT has nothing to do with THIS. The runes are already fading. I’m not the commander. Stop trying to make me something I’m not!”  She stormed off, away from Logan and HQ both.

 

* * *

 

Alec crouched on his heels and watched two of the X-8s spar in the early morning light. He was training some of the younger kids in combat skills. He’d done it before at Manticore, and enjoyed it. The girl dropped her defences for just a second and her partner, a slightly older boy, slipped past her guard and landed a kick that sent her sprawling. “Hold it,” Alec called out. The boy gave her a hand up and they both turned to face Alec expectantly. “What happened?” he asked the girl.

 

“I dropped my guard,” she said.

 

“That’s why he hit you. Why did you fall down?”

 

The girl’s eyes flickered as she recalled the last few minutes of the fight. “My weight was on the wrong foot.”

 

Alec nodded. “Try it again” he said with an encouraging smile.

 

She smiled shyly back at him before moving into position. At Manticore she would’ve been punished for dropping her guard like that, but Alec never yelled. He just helped them see what they’d done wrong. She was learning so much faster here. She never made the same mistake twice, not wanting to let him down.

 

Alec saw Logan halt on his way towards HQ and watch the kids spar with a scowl on his face. Alec just ignored him and after a minute Logan hurried off. Alec shrugged. The hacker always seemed to be mad about something. He used to respect the guy, but he’d changed over the last few days. He was becoming bitter and angry.

 

Logan went looking for Max. He’d told himself he wouldn’t complain to her again, but this was too much. ‘ _What does Alec think he’s doing anyway?_ ’ Logan wondered. He barged into HQ and headed straight for Max’s office. He didn’t bother to say hello, but he did try to keep his voice calm. For some reason she was blind when it came to Alec and he wouldn’t accomplish anything by pissing her off. “You don’t want to be in charge, fine. I still think you’re wrong but that’s your choice. But you have to pick someone else. Alec isn’t the right person for this!”

 

She looked at him through narrowed eyes and struggled to keep calm. “If you know so damn much about it, tell me what he’s done wrong.”

 

Logan could see how mad she was and knew he was pushing his luck by arguing with her again over this, but at least she seemed willing to listen. “He got the littlest kids fighting each other!”

 

She rolled her eyes in impatience. ‘ _He really doesn’t get it,_ ’ she thought. “He’s training them, Logan. They need to work on their combat skills.”

 

“Combat skills! Max, they’re just kids.”

 

“No, they aren’t. They’re soldiers. They need to be ready to defend themselves and their home.”

 

“They need to learn to act normal. They have to be ready to join the real world.”

 

Her hands curled into fists. “The real world doesn’t want us! Is that what you really think is going to happen? We’ll sneak out of here and go live a lie like I did all those years? No way! This is our home. Nobody’s taking it away from us.”

 

“Max, he’s trying to recreate Manticore. Those kids need more than that. They need to be in school. They need-”

 

“You don’t know what they need!” she yelled at him. “Alec does. He’s in command. Now stay out of it!” She stormed off before he could respond. She went in search of someone to spar with, hoping to work off her frustration and anger. ‘ _How come every time I see Logan we end up fighting?_ ’ she wondered angrily. ‘ _What happened to us? He’s my best friend. Why isn’t he acting like it anymore?_ ’

 

* * *

 

Just after lunch an unmarked surveillance van took up position outside their gates. It was the FBI most likely. The NSA was still trying to explain how one of their top agents was involved in the attack on Seattle. Max, Alec, Dix, Luke, Conner, Blink, and Logan were clustered around the computer monitors in HQ. Knowing the watchers would be listening in, they communicated by scribbling notes back and forth. Parabolic mics and other way of eavesdropping electronically were standard equipment on a van like that.

 

<"Can u jam signal?"> Alec wrote Dix.

 

The transhuman nodded and then wrote, <"HQ only – not outside. Too big.">

 

Alec shrugged. <"Do it.:> Dix hurried off to find the parts he needed.

 

Logan passed Max a note he’d hastily scribbled while Alec and Dix were talking. <"They’ll have infa-red scanners, cameras…I’ll try to figure out how much they can see. If FBI, good news their equip not as good as NSA.">

 

<"I’ll call gov’t contact. See who it is.">

 

Alec retreated into his office and let Dix and Logan deal with the situation. He had a meeting with a contact tonight and now he had to figure out how to get the supplies inside TC. Driving the truck through the gates was no longer an option.

 

About an hour later an X-6 marched into HQ. He’d hoped to speak to Alec or even Dix, but Logan was the only one in the room. The X-6 straightened his shoulders. He was the CO of his unit and he needed the information. Hopefully the human would tell him. He knew a lot of the X-5s didn’t like him, but Max thought he was ok so he couldn’t be all bad.

 

He walked straight up to Logan. “There are unconfirmed reports that the van is a surveillance team from an outside agency. Can you confirm?” He dropped the customary “sir”. Logan wasn’t his CO. He wasn’t even a transgenic.

 

Alec paused in the doorway of his office, curious to see what Logan would do.

 

Logan was startled by the sound of a voice. The room had been empty since Dix installed the jammer half an hour ago and he hadn’t heard anyone else come in. The X-6 at his elbow couldn’t be more than 15. He was just a kid, and as far as Logan was concerned, he didn’t need to deal with this. “No,” he lied. “It’s just a command center for the sector police. Don’t worry about it.”

 

Alec rolled his eyes. Downplaying danger wouldn’t cut it here. Todd was just trying to look out for his unit. He hurried across the room. “Logan, you obviously haven’t gotten the latest security bulletin.” Which was a complete lie, considering it was Logan’s contact in the sector police who’d confirmed that the van was indeed FBI. Alec didn’t want to contradict the hacker outright. He had enough bad press as it was.

 

Alec turned to the X6. “We have confirmed the watchers are FBI. But there’s only one surveillance team right now, so they haven’t got a blanket over us yet. We’ll keep you informed.”

 

“Understood, sir.” The X6 nodded his thanks and left HQ.

 

Alec turned to Logan as soon as the kid was out of the room. “Don’t lie to them, Logan,” he said in disgust. “He wasn’t looking for reassurance. He’s a soldier. He needs accurate intel so he knows what we’re up against. Don’t treat them like children.” Alec turned and walked off before Logan could answer.

 

Logan glared at his retreating back. ‘ _Doesn’t he have any compassion for the poor kids who look up to him?_ ’ he wondered.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Max sighed in frustration and rubbed her tired eyes with her fists. She was trying to draft a petition to the President. ‘ _Thank god for Logan,_ ’ she thought. ‘ _I don’t know what I’d do without his help. I suck at this._ ’ Give her someone to punch and she was fine. But playing the political game and using words to persuade just wasn’t her thing.

 

‘ _If only Logan weren’t so hostile towards Alec, and everything he’s trying to do here._ ’ Not that she could blame him for feeling that way. Alec had come between them, and changed everything. And she didn’t know how to deal with that. She sighed and rotated her head to work out some of the kinks in her neck.

 

Alec watched her from across the room. She was pushing herself so hard, trying to save them all. He could tell by her posture how exhausted and tense she was. He chuckled softly to himself. ‘ _I’ve got the perfect remedy for that, and I can’t wait to see her face when she sees it._ ’

 

Max heard someone approach from behind and recognized Alec’s footsteps. Without a word he laid his warm hands on her shoulders and started kneading her tense muscles. She melted under his touch. Alec was so thoughtful, in all the little ways.

 

“You need a break,” he whispered in her ear. His warm breath brushing against her flesh sent a shiver down her back.

 

“Mmm,” she muttered. As if. She had to get this damn thing done.

 

“It’ll wait until morning. I have a surprise for you.”

 

She craned her neck to look up at him. He gave her a cocky grin. “What is it?” she asked curiously.

 

“Aw, c’mon Max. If I told you it wouldn’t be a surprise.” He winked and backed up a few feet, his smile widening.

 

She glanced at the papers on the desk in front of her and then back at Alec. He crooked his index finger at her in the universal gesture of 'come here'. With a shrug she tossed her pen onto the desk and stood up. He grabbed her hand and led her out of HQ to the perimeter fence. They scanned the area for sector police but it was clear. The two who were supposed to be patrolling that section of the fence were chatting together 25 feet away. They jumped the fence and melted into the shadows on the other side.

 

Alec led her a few blocks from Terminal City. They turned a corner and Max stopped dead in her tracks. Original Cindy stood under a street lamp next to her Ninja. Max stared in shock for a few seconds and then ran to hug OC.

 

“Hey boo,” OC said with a huge smile.

 

“It’s so good to see you.” Max reached out with one hand and touched her bike to make sure it was real. She laughed in delight. She’d thought she’d lost it forever after she’d been forced to abandon it in order to bust into Jam Pony during the hostage taking. Thinking it had probably been seized by the cops or stripped for spare parts had wrenched her heart. “How did you find it?”

 

OC grinned. “I didn’t. Alec called and told me where to look. I picked it up the morning after the hostage thing at Jam Pony. Good thing too, cause the cops were about to seize it.”

 

Max crouched and ran her hands along the chassis. It was exactly as she’d last seen it. There were no new scratches or dents and none of the parts were missing. She glanced over at Alec. He’d wandered off a short way, giving her and Original Cindy space to chat.

 

“He’s your boy, boo.”

 

“Yeah,” Max said softly, then stood up so she could look OC in the eyes. “You alright? How’re things at Jam Pony now that we’re, gone.”

 

“Same old same old. Normal keeps asking about his golden boy.”

 

“He’s fine.”

 

“In more ways than one.”

 

Max chuckled. “Oh yeah.”

 

OC gave her a quick squeeze and walked over to Alec. He heard her coming and turned around to face her. She smiled and gave him a big hug. “I heard what you did for my boo. You’re a good man.”

 

Alec shrugged. “Nah. It was nothing.”

 

“Now you and I both know that’s not true. And so does Max.” OC turned and called to Max. “I gotta meet a fine lookin sista at Crash. Have fun you two.”

 

Max looked up from examining her bike. “See ya later.”

 

“Hey, beat Sketch at pool for me, ok.” Alec grinned.

 

“No doubt.” OC turned and headed out.

 

Alec watched her leave then walked over to Max. He smiled at the look of delight on her face. He loved the way her face lit up when she smiled like that. “I gotta go meet a contact. Try to make it home before the sun comes up.”

 

Max swung her leg over the seat and gunned the engine. She scooted forward on the seat, making room for him to join her. “You got time before the meet?” she asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.

 

“I’ll make time.” He grinned and slid on behind her, his arms tight around her ribs. They sped off through the dark streets. She’d missed this so much. She loved the speed, the sheer power of it. On her bike she felt invincible. All her problems were far behind her, small and insignificant. She took a corner at a dangerously high speed. Alec leaned into the curve, his body moving instinctively with hers. She increased the speed on the straightaway. They were almost flying. She heard Alec laugh. He felt the same exhilaration she did at hurtling through the night. Alec pressed even closer against her and his warm breath tickled her neck. It felt good.

 

Reluctantly he tapped his fingers against her ribs. She slowed enough to hear him over the wind. He directed her to one of the hottest clubs in town. There was a large crowd waiting at the doors to get in. She pulled around to the back. Alec hopped off and ran his hands through his dishevelled hair. “Be a good girl and wait here. And try and behave yourself until I get back,” he said.

 

She smacked him playfully on the shoulder. “Yeah, yeah. Get going already.”

 

Alec sauntered over to the door and banged on it. They guy who opened the door was heavily muscled, dressed in a black t-shirt and black cargo pants. He wore his gun in plain sight in a shoulder harness.

 

Alec smiled at him and said, “ _Kolya_ _, kak zhivyosh?_ ”

 

Max’s eyes widened slightly. She didn’t know Alec spoke Russian. She was impressed. He was meeting with some serious players. The Russian mob could make anything happen.

 

"Alec, you’re late."

 

"Yeah, I kinda lost track of time."

 

Kolya looked over Alec’s shoulder at Max and grinned knowingly. "A pretty girl will do that do you." Alec grinned.

 

"C’mon, the boss is waiting." Kolya escorted Alec down a dark corridor. Alec could hear the thump of the dance music playing out front, but the music was muted back here. Kolya led the way into the boss’s office. Inside were two more heavies dressed like Kolya. They gave Alec a friendly smile.

 

The boss wore an expensive, hand-tailored suit. He stood and welcomed Alec in the traditional Russian manner with a kiss to each cheek. Then he slapped Alec on the back. "It is good to see you my friend. We have everything that you asked for. An interesting list. Not many high-priced items. Mostly basic medical supplies, the kind you would need to stock a hospital. Curious, don’t you think?"

 

Alec’s muscles tensed and his sense were on full alert, though he gave no outward sign. "Curiosity can be bad for your health, Vadim," he pointed out, his eyes narrowed.

 

"Indeed. Well, I don’t care who you’re working for. So long as they pay their bills."

 

Alec opened his bag and removed the case of money Max had stolen off a drug dealer the day before the hostage taking at Jam Pony. The second guard took the briefcase and laid it on the desk in the corner. Popping the lid he swiftly counted the money.

 

Kolya grabbed a bottle of vodka and two shot glasses. He filled them and handed one to Alec and one to Vadim. The guard counting the money nodded and Vadim raised his glass in a toast. “ _Na zdorovye_.”

 

Alec followed suit. “ _Na zdorovye_.”

 

They drowned the shot. Vadim handed Alec a set of keys. "I’ll be in touch," Alec said. "My client may have another order soon."

 

Kolya led Alec out the way he came. A truck was parked near the door. Alec signalled to Max that he was taking the truck and she should follow him. She nodded. Alec drove to a deserted alley just out of sight of TC. Max pulled up beside him as he got out of the truck.

 

“So how’re we gonna get this stuff into TC? The FBI has the gate covered.”

 

“Way ahead of you Max. Have a little faith.” He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialled base. “Dix, we’re on.”

 

The manhole cover slid open and two X-5s climbed out of the sewer. They each carried a sling and a rope. Alec opened the back of the truck and handed them each a package. They placed it in the sling and lowered it down the manhole using the rope. Dix was waiting at the bottom. He undid the sling and handed the package to a waiting transgenic. He tossed it to the next transgenic in line, and the package made its way from hand to hand down the sewer passage back to TC. The X-5 up top drew the sling back up the manhole and went back to the truck to repeat the process.

 

“You know Max, this would go a lot faster if you gave me a hand,” Alec said as he wrestled a larger package into position. She hurried over to the truck and helped load the packages into the slings. They worked swiftly, not wanting to draw attention. Within 30 minutes the truck was empty. Alec’s two helpers slipped back down into the sewer and Alec replaced the manhole cover. He grinned at Max.

 

“I gotta return the truck. You gonna give me a ride or do I have to walk all the way home?”

 

Max laughed. “Can we take the scenic route home?”

 

They returned the truck to the club and then drove aimlessly for a while. Max wanted to go to the Space Needle but it was getting late. Now that she had her baby back, she could go another night. They snuck back into TC using a carefully concealed hole in the fence. Max pushed her bike to HQ as Alec walked in companionable silence beside her.

 

The crunch of their boots on gravel woke Logan. He was sleeping on the steps outside HQ. He’d gone looking for Max earlier that night and had panicked when he couldn’t find her anywhere. Dix finally told him she’d gone with Alec to get the supplies. Dix hadn’t wanted to say anything, because like a lot of the transgenics he was in on a little conspiracy to give Max and Alec time alone together without Logan around. But when Logan got angry and started yelling about needing to get together a search party Dix relented and told him where she was. Logan had gone quiet at the news and sat down on the steps of HQ with a determined look on his face. He’d fallen asleep waiting for her to return.

 

“Logan?” Max said, surprised he’d fallen asleep in such an awkward position.

 

He stumbled unsteadily to his feet. He was stiff and cold and not at all happy to see her with Alec. “What happened? Where have you been?” he asked worriedly. “The others were back hours ago.”

 

“We went for a ride. No big deal. Relax.”

 

The bike hadn’t really registered in his sleep-fuzzed brain until she’d mentioned it. Alec had got her bike back for her, and had no doubt encouraged her to go racing, exposing herself. Anything could have happened to her. He’d been sitting here most of the night, half out of his mind with worry, while she’d been joyriding round town with Alec. “Max, it’s too dangerous! You can’t go out there! The CDC is still looking for you, and we don’t know what the FBI is up to. You have to stay here where it’s safe.”

 

Max slammed the kickstand down on her bike. Crossing her arms she glared at Logan. “Did you just tell me what I can and can’t do?”

 

The quiet tone in which she said that should have been a warning to him. Alec knew from experience that Max never yelled when she was really and truly pissed off. Alec watched in fascination as Logan opened his mouth to argue with her some more. He was digging his own grave, and he didn’t have a clue. ‘ _Does he really know so little about her?_ ’ Alec thought in amazement. He certainly wasn’t about to give the other man a heads up.

 

“Max, you have to listen to me.” Logan tried to be reasonable but he was having a hard time controlling his temper. The thought of something bad happening to her made him sick to his stomach. He had to persuade her to stay here where he could keep an eye on her, keep her safe from harm. “You have to stay here where it’s safe. You can’t go racing around the city, especially not with him. He’s reckless. He’ll do something stupid and you’ll get caught trying to save his ass. You have to lay low.”

 

“It’s my life Logan. No one tells me what to do.” She spun on her heel and stormed off. Logan stared after her, his mouth hanging open. Alec could almost feel sorry for him. The guy had no clue how to handle someone like Max.

 

Logan saw the amused look on Alec’s face. “You think this is funny?” he shouted in fury.

 

Alec smirked. “What are you really mad about Logan? The fact that she went out and had fun, or that she was with me?

 

“Stay away from her,” Logan hissed.

 

“I think that’s Max’s decision to make. And so far, she seems to like my company more than yours.”

 

Goaded beyond endurance, Logan swung at Alec. The transgenic easily dodged the clumsy blow and danced back a few steps.

 

“You don’t want to do that Logan. One, I’d wipe the floor with your ass. And two, you’d probably die on contact. Max transfused me, remember? The virus is in her blood, her blood is now in me… So don’t piss me off.” He grinned evilly as Logan stared back at him in horror. ‘ _I probably shouldn’t have done that, but Logan is so easy to play. As if I’d actually touch him.’_  He wasn’t Ben. He didn’t get his kicks from killing people. Besides, hurting Logan would really piss off Max, and that would not be a good thing.

 

Logan backed away several feet and then turned and ran. Alec shook his head and walked home. Max was waiting for him in his apartment. She was standing in the dark, staring out the window. Alec crossed the room and stood beside her. She glanced over at him. “Thanks for saving my bike.”

 

“Don’t worry about it. We all know it’s part of your soul. And I prefer to see you smiling.”

 

She looked away. A single tear rolled down her cheek. “So why doesn’t Logan? He was everything to me. He was all I wanted. But somehow it just…slipped away. Now I don’t know what to do.”

 

Alec ached to see her so lost, so sad. “Tell me what to do Max.”

 

“Just hold me,” she whispered. “I don’t want to be alone tonight.” Without another word he wrapped his arms around her and tucked her head under his chin.

 

* * *

 

The next morning Max walked into her office at HQ to find Logan already there. He was sitting in her chair, staring at his hands. He looked exhausted and he was still wearing the same clothes he’d had on the night before. “I waited for you all night but you never came home” he said in a dull, defeated voice. “You were with him, weren’t you?”

 

“I needed to be with a friend.” She didn’t have the energy to deal with this, not now, not on top of everything else. She had to focus on saving her people, not arguing with Logan about their mixed up relationship.

 

Logan looked up at her. “Alec’s not your friend Max. He’s just playing a game. He’ll only let you down.”

 

“No, he won’t” she said vehemently. She thought of him holding her last night so she wouldn’t have to be alone. She thought of all the times he’d protected her when she rushed headlong into a rescue mission, heedless of the danger. “I’ve dragged Alec into some fucked up situations and he’s always had my back. He’s a good person. He’s not what you think he is.”

 

“He’s not what you think he is either. He threatened to kill me last night.”

 

Max stared at Logan in disbelief. “What are you talking about?”

 

“He’s infected with the virus and he threatened to touch me if I got in his way.”

 

Max rolled her eyes and walked past him. “He wouldn’t actually touch you Logan. He’s not a killer.”

 

Logan moved to follow her. “That’s exactly what he is!” He couldn’t believe she would just dismiss it. ‘ _How did Alec get her so turned around that she can’t see straight?_ ’ He seethed with jealousy. A month ago, before the hostage taking, he really thought he could step aside and let Alec care for her. He wanted her to be happy. But everything was different now that he was living in TC with them. He couldn’t bear to see her with another man. They were supposed to be together forever. The virus was Alec’s fault anyway. If he hadn’t tried to play White to save himself, they would’ve got the cure off that lab tech and been together months ago.

 

“Look Max, I know you feel like you owe him for what happened at the cathedral. But you have to face facts. He’s not stable. You have to send him away.”

 

Max spun to face him. “Stop it!” she yelled at him.

 

Logan was stunned by the blind fury in her eyes. He took an involuntary step backwards. Her shoulders slumped as her anger faded in the face of Logan’s fear. She looked down at her shoes. “I can’t do this anymore Logan. You and me…it’s just not going to work.”

 

“So you’re giving up,” he whispered in disbelief. “You’re actually choosing to be with him instead of me.”

 

She looked at him sorrowfully. “Something happened, Logan. When I’m with him, I feel normal. Whole. I can’t explain it. It just feels right.”

 

“And we don’t” he said bitterly.

 

“You always wanted me to be like you. To be human. But I’m not. And I’m tired of hiding from what I am.”

 

“This isn’t how things are supposed to be Max” he pleaded.

 

“Maybe it is. This place, the transgenic cause, Alec – it’s the only real thing in my life. The rest of it was just pretend… I’m sorry. I think you should go.”

 

If only he could touch her maybe he could make her see it his way, but he’d foolishly forgotten his gloves in his room. Which was probably an omen. Love wasn’t always enough. He turned and stumbled out the door.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Everyone looked up from what they were doing and stared at Alec when he walked into HQ later that morning. They were grinning at him like fools. His eyes flickered down at his body. ‘ _Yep, I did remember to put pants on this morning,_ ’ he thought.

 

“What’s going on?” he said, almost afraid to ask.

 

“Logan just left. He’s wading through the sewers at this very moment,” Conner said, rubbing his hands together with glee.

 

Alec couldn’t stop himself from breaking into a huge smile. “Gee, that’s too bad,” he said, his eyes dancing with delight.

 

“Yeah, I’m really gonna miss that guy. His cheerful attitude, his sense of humour, his blind obedience…” Dix said with a sigh, and wiped away a mock tear.

 

Alec chuckled. He looked at the closed door of Max’s office and debated whether he should go in. She hadn’t sent for him, which meant she probably wasn’t ready to see to him yet. He could only trust that it would all work out, and that she would come to him when she was ready. He flopped down in his chair at the conference table with a sigh and put his feet up. He was going over the supply list for the 20th time when he heard Dix yell excitedly, “Max! The trucks are here!”

 

She hurried out of her office and ran across the room to check the closed-circuit TV monitors. She stifled a giggle and walked over to Alec. “C’mon,” she said with a grin. “You have to check this out.”

 

He scanned her face, trying to gauge her mood. Her eyes were red and he could tell she’d been crying but she was obviously trying to act as if nothing was wrong. ‘ _Fine,_ ’ he thought. ‘ _I’ll take my cue from her. Don’t I always?_ ’ Aloud he said “it’s just the food, Max.”

 

She tugged at his hand, trying to get him to his feet. “Are you so sure about that? Trust me, you want to check out this shipment personally.”

 

“Max, what’re you up to?” he asked suspiciously.

 

“You have to go outside to find out. C’mon!”

 

Alec looked from her to the big grin on Dix’s face. His curiosity peaked and he allowed her to pull him to his feet. He craned his neck to get a glimpse at the TV monitors but Max hauled him outside before he could make anything out. Everyone else followed on their heels. The two trucks had stopped outside HQ. Alec stared in shock at the contents of the second vehicle. It was a flat bed truck, and tied down in the back was a baby grand piano. His gaped at it, unable to believe his eyes. He turned to see Max grinning at him like the Cheshire cat.

 

It went better than she’d expected. Alec’s mouth was open in shock and he was speechless. She loved the look of delight that was shining in his eyes. He looked like a little kid on Christmas morning who just got every item on his list. She was thrilled that she was able to do something to make him that happy.

 

“And I found the perfect place to put it, too,” she said. “It’s all ready for you.”

 

They followed along behind the truck as it headed for the building Max had chosen, their hands linked. Alec couldn’t stop smiling.

 

A large crowd had gathered around them when the truck arrived. Alec wondered just how many of them had known what Max was up to. There was certainly no shortage of eager hands willing to help unload their commander’s present. Dixon supervised the process. Carefully they lifted the piano off the truck and set it down on the pavement outside the building. They turned it on its side so it would fit and then slowly eased it through the door and up the stairs. Dix guided them up to the top floor, walking backward ahead of them. He was terrified the piano might slip from their grasp and bang against the walls. After a lot of struggling they finally got it up to the penthouse suite and set it down in the middle of the living room floor.

 

The room Max had chosen had once been beautiful. It was finished in hardwood, with a gas fireplace along one wall and floor to ceiling windows overlooking the city. The mantle of the fireplace was cracked now and several of the windows were broken and boarded over, but the roof was sound and the acoustics were excellent. Dix carefully unwrapped the protective covers and propped open the lid. The piano gleamed in the dim light. Alec lifted their linked hands and kissed the back of Max’s hand. “You are an amazing woman,” he said. “Thank you.”

 

She smiled and let go of his hand. She gave him a gentle push towards the piano. He sat down on the stool and ran his fingers along the keys tenderly.

 

“Alright, everyone out. Let’s leave him alone with his baby.” She shooed them all out. They tromped noisily down the stairs. She paused for a minute at the door and listened as he started to play. The music was so beautiful that she wanted to stay there and listen, but she reluctantly closed the door. He hadn’t asked her to stay. Not yet anyway. ‘ _Someday I’ll get him to play for me._ ’

 

* * *

 

Alec’s fingers drifted over the keys and picked out a few random chords. It was a beautiful instrument, with a rich and mellow tone. The room Max had chosen was perfect. The acoustics amplified the clear, sweet notes without distorting them. One of the chords he played reminded him of the opening to Beethoven’s Sonata Number 14, the “Moonlight Sonata.” He launched into the piece, his eyes closed. He loved the way Beethoven slowly built the tension – like the tide, each wave receding only to crest higher. He gave himself up to the music, surrendered to it. He was empty of everything except the beautiful notes that poured out of him through his fingers to fill the empty stillness of the room.

 

* * *

 

Alec finally stopped playing when he could no longer ignore the rumbling of his stomach. It was after lunch. He’d meant to grab some breakfast after he finished training the X-8s, but he’d forgotten all about eating once he’d heard the news about Logan. Reluctantly he stood and walked out. The piano was his. It would always be there, waiting for him.

 

He wanted to find Max and thank her for the present but he went in search of food first. Kit, the freak in charge of the mess hall, grinned when he walked in. Her smile revealed a mouthful of sharp, pointed teeth. She had a little too much feline DNA in her cocktail. Her green eyes were slit vertically and reflected back the light. Her speciality was night recon because she could see in the dark better even than any X.

 

“I was wondering if you were gonna remember to eat today. I saved you something.” She stood and moved over to one of the stoves, her hips swaying slightly as she walked, graceful as a cat. She took a covered plate out of the oven and carried it over to the nearest table. Alec gobbled down the food. It was delicious and he was starving. Kit watched him eat, smiling slightly at his haste.

 

“So how’re you doing for supplies?” he asked between mouthfuls.

 

“Not bad. If the government sends regular shipments like the one we got today we may actually have decent meals around here.”

 

Alec swallowed the last bite. “Is there anything else you need? More helping hands maybe?”

 

She shook her head impatiently. “Nah. Now get out of here already. She’s waiting for you.” He stared at her in surprise. Was everyone in Terminal City keeping tabs on the state of their relationship?

 

“Go on,” Kit said with a smile, and pointed towards the door. He walked slowly towards HQ and tried to ignore the knowing looks he got from the transgenics he passed on his way there. He didn’t even know how Max really felt about Logan’s departure, and here was everyone expecting them to jump each other’s bones at the first opportunity. ‘ _Not that I’d complain,_ ’ he thought wryly.

 

Dix looked up from the computers when Alec walked in. “Max is in her office,” he said, fully expecting Alec would go check on her.

 

“Good. She’s got work to do,” Alec said as he headed across the room to his own office.

 

“But, but aren’t you gonna go talk to her?”

 

Alec turned to look at Dix. His face was blank, one eyebrow raised. “Does she have something to report?”

 

“Report? Well no, but, um, I just thought that…” Dix stammered in confusion. Somehow he’d upset Alec and he wasn’t sure what to do about it.

 

Alec relented. He wasn’t mad at Dix, he just wanted to control the rumours flying around the place. “Max and I have to work out things between us on our own. HQ isn’t the place for that.” He paused and then grinned at Dix. “I know you helped Max arrange everything. Thanks. It’s perfect.”

 

Dix nodded, relieved Alec wasn’t mad at him, and went back to his work.

 

Alec disappeared into his office. All afternoon his mind kept wandering to the next room. Again and again he forced himself to concentrate only to lose his train of thought. He had no idea how she felt. She’d acted ok this morning, but that was just because of the excitement over the arrival of the piano. She might be relieved to have Logan gone, or she might be devastated. He really didn’t know and he was afraid to hope for much in case it all came crashing down around him. He’d rather not have her at all if he couldn’t keep her, if it was just a temporary thing. To have her and then lose her would drive him over the edge. Make him just like Ben.

 

Finally he gave up all pretence of working and headed for his apartment. He nursed a glass of scotch as the light slowly faded, and waited for her to come to him. He sat there for a long time before he heard her slow footsteps in the hall.

 

Max shut the door behind her and leaned her back against it. She watched Alec watch her. He sat with his back to the window and she couldn’t read his expression in the dim light. Neither spoke. Eventually she whispered, “Logan’s gone.”

 

Alec nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

 

“I told him to go.”

 

Relief washed over him. She might miss him, she might not want to rush into anything yet, but at least she’d taken the first step. He gripped the arms of the chair tightly to keep from leaping out of his seat. All he wanted to do was claim her as his mate. He could barely think past the pounding of his blood. He needed her so badly it hurt to breathe. But he still didn’t know what she wanted from him right now. It took all of his willpower, but he forced himself to remain still and wait for a sign from her.

 

Max was confused. She thought he’d sweep her into his arms and kiss her but he just sat there in silence. She half-raised her arm, her hand reaching toward him. “Alec?” she said tentatively.

 

The sound of fear and doubt in her voice was his undoing. Swiftly he rose and crossed the room to stand before her. One hand reached for hers and their fingers laced together while his other hand gently cupped her face and his thumb stroked her cheek. He looked deep into her eyes. His gaze was warm and steady, full of love and need and desire, but there was also a question there.

 

At last she understood his silence. “I made my choice,” she whispered. “I love you.”

 

He let go of the breath she hadn’t realized he’d been holding. A ghost of a smile played about his lips. “I love you Max. I love every inch of you. I love your strength, I love the fact that you’re hurt by other people’s pain, that you want to make everything better. I love that you never give up.” He traced his thumb along her lips. “I love your smile. I-” He winced when he realized that he had actually said all of that aloud. He dropped his hand from her face and looked away in embarrassment. “God, listen to me, I sound like a Hallmark card.”

 

‘ _Way to go Alec. Real smooth,_ ’ he thought in disgust. ‘ _Gush all over her like a girl. You idiot.’_  He shrugged and stared at the floor, waiting for her to start laughing at him.

 

Max bit her trembling lip. This was the kind of love she’d always wanted, and she’d found it where she least expected it. This was where she was supposed to be. Alec was her match. She stepped forward to close the distance between them, her hand moving behind his head to caress his barcode. He bent his head and brought his lips to hers. The kiss was slow and sweet, and it made her heart pound. She parted her lips and the touch of his tongue against hers sent a ripple of pleasure through her body to her center. He explored her mouth, tasted her, let her taste him. As their tongues entwined his arms tightened around her. One of his hands moved to her ass and pressed her closer against him. She could feel his desire hard against her hip. His lips left hers and travelled slowly along her jaw to nibble on her earlobe. He kissed the back of her neck, sending shivers up and down her spine. Her head spun. She’d never felt like this before.

 

She slid her hands down his strong back and around his sides, and then under his shirt. Her fingers brushed over his abs. Soft, warm skin covered hard muscles. He groaned and sought her mouth. He kissed her fiercely, bruising her lips against his.

 

She was weak-kneed with desire. She moved out of his arms and into the room and stood with her back to him. She grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, and then reached behind and undid the clasp of her bra and slid the straps off her shoulders. She tossed it to the floor with her shirt. Slowly she turned around to face him, letting the moonlight dance along her skin. His eyes were wide at the sight of her, his breath catching in his throat. He yanked his own shirt off and then reached for her.

 

She stepped back, a smile dancing on her lips. He stepped forward and again she stepped back, leading them both to his bed. Desire smouldered in his eyes. She fell back across the bed and he fell onto her with a growl, his weight pinning her to the bed as his lips devoured hers.

 

She shivered as his tongue delved into her mouth to duel with hers. No one had ever kissed her with such passion, such abandon. She was dizzy from the intensity of it. He kissed her as if he was a drowning man and she was air. She never wanted him to stop kissing her. He invaded her senses with his touch, his taste, his scent. She kissed him hungrily and tangled one hand in his hair and pressed his mouth more firmly over hers.

 

He slid his hand down her chest and cupped one perfect breast. His fingers fondled her soft flesh and his thumb moved in circles over her hard peak. She moaned as his touch sent a jolt through her body to her center. So many times he’d dreamt of touching her this way and making her moan in pleasure, that suddenly he was afraid it wasn’t real. He raised his head and stared in wonder at the sight of her beneath him. Her face was flushed, her breathing rapid and shallow. Her chocolate eyes slid open and she looked up at him with desire and love. He groaned and kissed her hungrily. Her hands roamed over his back, pulling him down hard against her.

 

His lips left hers and he trailed kisses down her neck and breastbone to the hollow between her breasts. The feel of his lips and tongue on her skin made her shiver. He bit the side of her breast with his teeth and then kissed the hurt away. His lips traveled up over the curve of her breast, nibbling and kissing at the soft flesh. His tongue flicked out and caressed the hard peak. His warm mouth sucked at one tight bud while his hand played with the other breast, rolling the nipple between his thumb and index finger. Her body quivered and she moaned softly.

 

He moved his head and she whimpered as his mouth left her flesh. He stood, his hands sliding down her body to her waist, and he undid her pants. She lifted her hips and he pulled her jeans down and off in one smooth motion. He knelt between her legs and hooked his index fingers under the band of her black lace panties. He slowly eased them down over her hips, kissing the exposed flesh of her hips and lower abdomen. Then he stood again and pulled her panties off her legs and tossed them to the floor. Swiftly he undid his own jeans and stripped out of them and his boxers at the same time. Max bit her lip when she finally saw him completely naked. He was beautiful. The fact that he was built that way didn’t lessen the impact at all. His skin was golden, his muscles sculpted, and he was hard with desire for her. The sight of it made her heart race.

 

He knelt between her legs and grasped one ankle and raised her leg. He kissed her instep and then nibbled his way along her calf to the back of her knee, and down the inside of her thigh. He lightly nibbled at the junction between her thigh and hip, and she shivered in anticipation. He pushed her legs apart and then spread her folds. She was already hot and wet with desire for him, and the smell of her was intoxicating, enticing him. He bent his head and licked her opening, tasting her. She moaned as that light touch of his tongue against her sent an electric current shooting through her body. Then his tongue flicked out and swirled around her clit, lapping at her. She clutched at the sheets and panted, unable to catch her breath. She gasped as he slid one finger into her warm passage. She was swamped by wave after wave of pleasure as his finger moved in and out of her and his tongue teased her clit. Her hips bucked against his face, wanting more. He slid a second finger into her and his hand moved faster, in and out, sending her higher and higher. She was trembling on the edge and then she fell, screaming his name. 

 

He pulled his hand and mouth away and moved so he was lying on top of her. The tip of his erection grazed her opening. He growled as she rubbed her hips against him. She tangled her hands in his hair and pulled his mouth down to hers, and the taste of her on his lips and tongue enflamed her senses. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he plunged into her, grinding his hips against her. He pulled out almost completely and then plunged into her again and again, slow steady strokes that sent her spiralling upwards once more. She tightened her legs around him, pulling him deeper into her. He slammed into her, pumping his hips harder and faster. She whimpered and clutched at his back, her nails scratching his skin.

 

They were both close to the breaking point when she braced her arm against the bed and rolled them over so that she was sitting on top of him. He chuckled softly at the predatory look in her eyes. His breathing was ragged. She held still, allowing them both to ease back from the edge of the abyss. Then she braced her hands behind her on his thighs and started to slowly move up and down on him. His hands slid up her body to cover her breasts and his palms brushed over her hard peaks. She threw back her head and arched her back and rode him, moving faster and faster, pulling away only to plunge down hard, taking him completely into her. He groaned, her small whimpers and moans driving him wild. His hands moved to her hips, guiding her as his hips moved under hers in a counter rhythm. They moved together, in and out and up and down, harder and faster until they were both teetering on the edge. She shattered and screamed his name again. “Aleecc!” Her muscles clenched him hard as her body shuddered. The pressure as her passage tightened around him sent him toppling over the edge. His hips jerked hard against her and he exploded, mind and body.

 

She collapsed on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled them both onto their sides, still joined together. He kissed her on the forehead and waited for their breathing to slow. She could feel him inside her, still hard. Playfully she wriggled her hips. He growled and pushed her onto her back and pinned her beneath him. She grinned as his lips claimed hers.

 

* * *

 

Max woke to the unfamiliar sensation of lying against a warm male body. Disoriented, she tensed and started to pull away until his scent penetrated her sleep-fogged senses. Alec. She was in bed with Alec. It was his chest that her head was pillowed on, his heartbeat that she could hear in her ear. She smiled and snuggled closer, loving the feel of his arms around her. She’d slept in his arms the night after the attack, the night he almost died, but the next morning she’d been too uncertain about where things stood between them to enjoy it. ‘ _But everything’s different now._ ’

 

She raised her head and shifted her weight so that she could look at him. He was so beautiful when he was sleeping. He looked younger, softer, more vulnerable. Gently she stroked the pale scar below his ribs and then ran her fingers up his chest and neck to his face. She wanted him to wake up so she could see the sparkle in his gorgeous hazel eyes. Eyes that changed color with his mood. Eyes that had looked at her with love for so long, only she’d been too blind to notice. ‘ _God I love looking in his eyes._ ’

 

He stirred in his sleep, responding to her gentle touch. She continued to stroke his face, teasing him awake. Finally his eyes slid open. His lips curved into a grin when he saw her watching him with a tender look on her face. “Morning,” she said.

 

His eyes flicked over to the open window. The pale light of dawn had only just begun to show in the sky. “Barely,” he said with a yawn. “I’m not gonna get much sleep with you around, am I?”

 

“Oh, you’d really rather be sleeping right now?” she teased. She traced lazy patterns across his chest with her fingers, her hands slowly inching downwards towards his abs.

 

“Yeah, right.” He grinned and rolled over so he lay on top of her, pressing her down against the mattress. Her heart raced as she looked up into his face and saw desire burning in his eyes. “Who needs sleep?” he said as his mouth descended to hers.

 


	4. Chapter 4

MEANWHILE IN WASHINGTON, DC…

Dr. George from the CDC sat impatiently on the bench in the dark, deserted park. He glanced around nervously, hoping to catch a glimpse of his contact. Finally the man in the grey suit sat down next to him. “I take it you’re still concerned about the female transgenic who escaped from the hospital in Seattle,” the man said quietly without looking over at the doctor.

 

“Yes,” Dr. George replied. “She’s a carrier for a very nasty biotoxin. She must be contained. But there’s a bigger issue at stake here too.”

 

“Go on.”

 

“Those transgenics have been living in a biohazard zone for how long now? Months? They aren’t dying from it, which means they must be immune. If I could have access to a few subjects, I might be able to isolate a compound from their blood. Create a vaccine.”

 

“That could prove…invaluable. We’ll be in touch.” The man in the grey suit stood and walked away without a backward glance.

 

* * *

 

ELSEWHERE…

Donald Lydecker sat at the end of a very long conference table. Grouped around the far end were several men in sombre black suits. Men of power. The chairman of this committee glanced up from his notes and looked at Lydecker over the top of his reading glasses.

 

“You understand why you have been summoned here? We must have control of the situation. And we must have access to the transgenics. Otherwise we have no choice but to contain the threat. Your name has been put forth as a candidate for obvious reasons. For equally obvious reasons I am reluctant to agree to your posting. You allowed twelve of them to escape in 09.”

 

“Twelve out of several hundred,” Lydecker pointed out calmly.

 

“You allowed the facility to be compromised and destroyed.”

 

“I was out in the cold at the time, and you know it. I was forced out by the same person who allowed the facility to be compromised. And in all likelihood Madame X was working for the same group that attacked Seattle.”

 

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. In any case, it’s a worrisome trend. Further failure will not be tolerated.” The chairman scrutinized Lydecker, his lips pursed in thought. Lydecker stared back calmly. He’d dealt with these men before, and knew the rules. Finally the chairman asked “if we did grant you command again, how would you resolve the situation?”

 

Lydecker shifted forward in his seat and pinned each one of the committee members with his gaze. “Only one escape was ever permitted because we maintained firm control over them. We had the facility and we had the manpower to impose order. The situation is entirely different now. Every one of my kids has experienced life on the outside for themselves. Pandora’s boxhas been opened. They will resist capture.”

 

“Are you suggesting containment, then?”

 

“Not at all. There are two ways to get what you want. The stick, and the carrot.”

 

* * *

 

It was the end of a long day and Original Cindy was looking forward to going home and having a long bath. The only good part about not rooming with Max anymore was that now she didn’t have to compete for the hot water. Considering Max’s feline DNA, it was amazing how much that girl liked to soak in a tub.

 

“And where do you think you’re going?” Normal shouted at her as she headed past his counter for the door. “Hot run.”

 

“Un un. No way. It’s almost 4:00 and I’ve been peddling my ass off all day. Find some other poor fool to do it.”

 

“It’s for my golden boy. I know you’re in touch with them.” He held out a fat envelope.

 

“You serious?” Original Cindy gave him a suspicious look and then grabbed the envelope and opened it. It was stuffed full with sector passes. OC’s eyes went wide and she looked up in surprise at him. “Normal, I never thought these words would come outta my mouth, but you’re aiight. Now gimme your phone. I gotta make a call.”

 

She called Alec’s cell phone and waited impatiently for him to answer. "Yeah, what is it?" he asked impatiently.

 

"Hey, handsome. How’re things?"

 

Alec chuckled. "Nobody’s been shot at in a couple of days, so we’re good."

 

"How’s my boo?"

 

"Still playing politician. Not exactly the best career move for her."

 

"No doubt. Listen, I got a package here with your name on it. It’s from Normal."

 

"From Normal? It’s a bomb, isn’t it."

 

"Nah. It’s a good thing. You got someone I can hand this off to?"

 

"Yeah, me."

 

"You sure that’s a good idea?"

 

"Now when did I ever let that stop me? Tell Normal I’ll swing by Jam Pony after dark."

 

* * *

 

Logan was busy updating his files when his cell phone rang. In the last two days he’d buried himself in his work. He’d put off working on so many stories of corruption and greed in order to help fight for the transgenics. Now it was time to get Eyes Only back to his roots. He fumbled around for his phone, finally locating it in the middle of a precariously balanced stack of files. “Yeah,” he muttered as he tried to keep the stack from slipping to the floor.

 

"Hey Logan, it’s Syl."

 

"Syl? Where are you? Are you in Seattle?"

 

"Yeah. We thought we’d check out things in Terminal City. Can you get us in?"

 

"I can’t help you. But I can give you the number of the guy who can. Just give me a minute to give him a heads up." He rattled off Dix’s number at Terminal City HQ.

 

"Got it. Thanks."

 

Logan hung up and called Terminal City. "Uh, hey Dix, it’s Logan. I was just contacted by a couple of X-5s. I gave them your number, but I just wanted to vouch for them."

 

"Uh, yeah. Sure thing. Thanks."

 

A minute later Dix’s phone rang again. "Terminal City."

 

"Got room at the inn for four more?"

 

"You got it. What’s your location?"

 

"An abandoned building just west of the market."

 

"We’ll send someone to rendezvous. Hold on a sec."

 

Dix walked over to Alec’s office and knocked on the door. “Yeah” came the muffled reply. Dix poked his head inside the door. “Hey Alec, we got four incoming Xs looking for a tour guide. Can you pick em up when you’re out tonight or should I send someone else?”

 

Alec looked up briefly from his notes. “I’ll do it. Get the details. Tell them I’ll be there at 10:00.”

 

Dix nodded and closed the door. "Ok, it’s all set. Your contact’s name is Alec. He’ll be there at 10:00. Until then, lay low."

 

"Got it." Syl hung up and turned to the others. “We’re on for tonight.”

 

* * *

 

Alec lingered in the shadows and waited for the sector cop to pass by on his rounds. But instead of moving on the cop stopped and glanced furtively up and down his side of the fence. Seeing no one around, he fumbled in his pockets for a cigarette. ‘ _Good enough,_ ’ Alec thought. He waited until the cop’s head was bent over the flame and then he was up and over the fence. He was halfway down the block before the cop had finished his first drag.

 

Alec jacked a bike and headed for Chinatown to meet his contact. He left the bike in an alley behind a dumpster and lost himself in the crowds. He wandered up and down the stalls, scanning the site thoroughly for signs that anything was out of the ordinary. It wasn’t. Precisely at 9:00 he sauntered up to the food stall. “I called in a special order earlier.”

 

The owner nodded solemnly and reached under the counter for several rectangular packages wrapped in brown paper. Alec handed over a wad of money and dropped the packages into his bag. He slipped back into the crowd, and disappeared.

 

He retrieved the bike and headed across town for Jam Pony. Again he watched from the shadows before approaching. The street was deserted. The only light in the building came fromNormal’s office. Alec slipped across the street and jimmied the lock open on the back door. Soundlessly he snuck up to Normal’s office and leaned on the counter. “Hey,” he said.

 

Normal jumped at the sound of his voice. “Jesus Murphy” he said in shock. He blinked rapidly several times and then smiled. “Hey, there’s my golden boy. It’s good to see you. You alright?”

 

“I’m always alright, Normal” Alec said with a grin.

 

“You getting enough to eat?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Oh, well, good. That’s important. Gotta keep your strength up.”

 

“Listen, sorry about trashing your place,” Alec said and pointed in the general direction of the office upstairs.

 

Normal waved off his apology. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t own the building.”

 

Alec chuckled. “Alright then.”

 

Normal looked away and fiddled with his pen. “Um, how’s the little one doing?”

 

“She’s good, really good. Gem told me to say hi.”

 

“So what’d she call her?”

 

“Hope.”

 

Normal smiled. “She is that.” He reached for the envelope. “Here. These may help keep her safe.”

 

Alec looked inside at the sector passes and then glanced up at Normal in surprise. Normal shrugged, embarrassed. “You’re a decent guy, Normal. Thanks.”

 

“Nah. Just being a good samaritan. Now go on, get out of here. I got things to do.”

 

Alec walked towards the door and then paused and looked back. “I’ll bring Gem and Hope by some time. When things settle down.”

 

* * *

 

Alec headed over to the market. He found the building with no trouble. A couple of squatters huddled around a fire in a barrel at the mouth of the alley, but they were so drunk they didn’t notice him pass by. He slipped in through an open window and crouched on the floor, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the lack of light. He could make out four figures in the far corner. “Hey, someone order a pizza?” he said. He stood and moved forward a couple of paces.

 

“Ben?!” Jondy cried out incredulous and rushed across the rooms towards Alec.

 

Alec backed up rapidly and flung his arms out in front of him, palms forward, to stop her from throwing herself at him. “Whoa! No, no, no, no. I’m not Ben. I’m his twin. I’m Alec.”

 

The four X5s stared at him in disbelief.

 

Alec ran his hands through his hair. “Yeah, I know. I’m a dead ringer for psycho boy. But I’m not Ben. My designation is 494. Um, if you know Ben, you must be Max’s siblings.”

 

Jondy nodded, dazed. “I’m Jondy. That’s Syl, Krit, and Zane,” she said, pointing over her shoulder at the others.

 

“Right. Well, Max will be glad to see you.”

 

“Wait a minute. Max is alive?” Syl asked anxiously. “The last we heard she’d been shot in the heart.”

 

“It’s a long story, but yeah, she’s ok. She’s the one that burned Manticore to the ground and let all the freaks out into the world.” Abruptly he turned and moved towards the door. “We can play 20 questions later. C’mon.” He led the way out the building, the others following closely behind.

 

They headed in the general direction of Terminal City, sticking to deserted streets to attract as little attention as possible. Ideally the public would never need to know that the transgenics could get in and out of TC whenever they wanted.

 

Alec could feel their eyes on him as they walked, particularly Jondy’s. It made him nervous. It was like they didn’t really see him, just a ghost. He didn’t want to think that that was what Max saw too when she looked at him. And sometimes it made his skin crawl, knowing that he walked around the world wearing the face of a psychotic killer. Mostly he just refused to think about it, but it was hard to do that right now given the way they were staring at him. He stopped moving and spun on his heel to face them. “I’d show you my barcode only I had it removed a while back.”

 

Jondy shifted her weight, feeling awkward and nervous. “I’m sorry. I get that you’re not Ben. It’s just, I never saw him again after the escape. I never got to see what he looked like.”

 

Alec sighed and ran his hands through his hair. ‘ _It’s not her fault,_ ’ he reminded himself. ‘ _You’re the one that looks like her dead brother. Of course she’s gonna stare at you._ ’

 

“So how do we get in and out of Terminal City?” Zane asked to break the tension.

 

“Mostly we jump the fence,” Alec said, grateful for the distraction. “Depends on how big a crowd we got on our doorstep.”

 

“I thought the sector cops were watching the perimeter.”

 

“Supposed to be. But the cops aren’t always that vigilant. When they are, we use the sewers. When the place went toxic the city shut down all access, including the sewers. As far as the cops know, they’re still bricked up.”

 

“Let me guess, you built fake walls.”

 

“Yep.”

 

“So what’s in the bag?” Krit asked, curious.

 

“C-4. One of the transhumans is a wizard at making booby traps. He’s gonna rig the tunnels. If anyone tries to sneak in our back door it’ll collapse in front of them and block all access.”

 

* * *

 

 “Hey boss,” Dix said as the five of them walked into HQ a short while later. “I see you found our new recruits.”

 

‘ _Boss?_ ’ Jondy wondered, looking over at Alec. ‘ _Is Ben’s twin in charge here?_ ’

 

“They’re 09 rogues,” Conner said in disbelief.

 

Alec gave Conner a warning look. “They’re Max’s siblings, so be nice.” He glanced around the room, a mischievous smirk on his face. “Let’s have a little fun, shall we?”

 

“Max will kick your ass,” Dix warned.

 

“She’s always kicking my ass over something. Might as well give her a reason, instead of letting her come up with her own. So play along.” Alec turned to face her office door and raised his voice, his tone urgent. “Max! Get your ass out here, now! We got a situation.”

 

She came running out of her office, fear and worry clearly showing on her face. “What? What is it?” She stopped dead when she caught sight of her four siblings. Her eyes went wide and her mouth gaped open. Alec stifled a chuckle at the look on her face. Max raced across the room and threw herself into her siblings’ arms. They formed a giant huddle, each of them hanging on to everyone else. Finally Max pulled back so she could look them all in the eyes. “I can’t believe you’re really here,” she said, laughing and crying at the same time. “It’s so good to see you.”

 

“Maxie, what happened? Deck told us you’d been killed. And what about Zack?” Syl asked.

 

Max looked away. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later. I promise.” She didn’t want to spoil the happy mood by telling them about Zack’s sacrifice. She moved away from the group and walked over to Alec, a sweet smile on her face. “Thanks,” she said and then punched him hard on the shoulder.

 

“Ow!” he complained, rubbing his shoulder. “What the hell did you do, line your gloves with lead?”

 

“You are such a pain in the ass! You could’ve just told me instead of freaking me out like that.”

 

“What, and miss the look on your face?” She raised her arm to smack him again but he danced back a couple of steps out of her reach. He caught the quizzical looks on her siblings’ faces. “I’m Max’s personal punching bag,” he explained with a grin. “She just can’t keep her hands off me.”

 

Max rolled her eyes. “Yeah, whatever.” But then she smiled at him, too happy even to pretend to be mad for long.

 

Alec smiled at the happy expression on her face. ‘ _She looks so happy. Like she’s whole again, or something.’_  He wondered what it felt like to have a family, to have brothers and sisters to be that close with. He shoved the thought away. “Have fun catching up,” he said softly and turned to go.

 

“Alec, wait,” Max closed the distance between them and caught hold of his arm to stop him from leaving. “Stay with us.”

 

He shook his head and gently pushed her hand away. “No. They’re not my family, Max.” He reached out and touched her cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and headed out of HQ, alone.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Alec drained the last of the scotch and let the glass fall on the floor next to the empty bottle. He lay on his back and stared at the watermarks on the ceiling above his bed and tried not to think of anything at all. It would take more than a single bottle to get an X-5 drunk, but it was enough to make him numb, make him not care. Which is why he drank it, night after night.

 

He was alone. He couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t alone, even in the middle of a crowded room. Tonight he didn’t want to feel the weight of that loneliness. Tonight he wanted to be numb.

 

In all his years at Manticore he’d never thought of his unit as his brothers and sisters the way Max did. And he knew they hadn’t felt that way about him. They respected him, even needed him, but they didn’t think of him as family. Which was the way Manticore had wanted it to be. Emotional attachments made you weak and vulnerable. And he’d learned that lesson best of all. Only once before had he dared to let down his guard enough to feel anything beyond duty and discipline. And Rachel had died because of it. She’d paid the price for his weakness.

 

He remembered every minute he spent with her. If he closed his eyes he could see her face. Her teasing smiles as she played the Peanuts theme during their first piano lesson. Her shy, innocent desire as they swam in her father’s pool in their underwear. The look of pain and betrayal in her eyes as he told her he’d been sent to kill her. But worst of all was the blank, empty shell that lay in that hospital bed waiting to die. Waiting for him to come so she could finally end her dying.

 

Watching that car explode, knowing it was his fault that she was hurt, that he’d failed her, had broken him. And then Max crashed into his life and wrapped her fingers around his shattered heart and refused to let it go. She’d forced him to feel again. Made him whole. He was terrified by how much he loved her. Because he knew that one second was all it took to snatch it all away. She was his greatest weakness. If anything happened to her, he wouldn’t survive it. The loneliness would smother him.

 

He forced the thought away, forced himself to become empty and still. He didn’t want to think. He didn’t want to feel.

 

Hours later he heard the soft sound of the door opening. He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. He heard her tiptoe across the room and quickly strip out of her clothes. He felt the bed shift as she slid under the covers and lay down next to him. She laid her head on his chest above his heart and let out a small sigh of contentment as she snuggled against him. “You’re my family too, Alec” she murmured softly. He brought his arms tight around her and held her close, and breathed in the scent of her. He smiled in the dark, and drifted into sleep.

 

* * *

 

Syl prodded at Krit’s sleeping form. “Wake up,” she said impatiently.

 

“Mmff. Can’t this wait until morning?” he said and rolled over, burying his face in the pillow.

 

“It IS morning. Well, close enough.” She was too excited to sleep any longer. Their baby sister was alive and she was building them a home, someplace where they could all be together. She wanted to do something to help. She yanked the pillow out from under Krit’s head.

 

He blinked sleepily at her. “Fine. I’m up. What’s so urgent?”

 

“Did you see the list of supplies they need? It practically covers the entire wall. And it’s gonna take a lot of money to get a hold some of that stuff.”

 

“Un hun.”

 

“So how about we go raise some cash.”

 

“What’ve you got in mind?”

 

Syl shoved a newspaper under his nose. She’d bought it at the marketplace the day before. It was folded back to expose a story about a rare emerald and diamond necklace that had recently been acquired by Melvin Smythe, one of the richest men in Seattle. “You up for it?”

 

Krit grinned. It had been a while since they pulled a heist, and he missed the adrenaline rush. “Oh yeah,” he said. “Should we tell Zane and Jon?”

 

“Nah. It’s not exactly a four-man job. Let them find their own mark.”

 

* * *

 

Later that night, Syl and Krit lay prone along separate branches of a massive tree just outside the Smythe estate. They’d been watching the place from different vantage points for hours. From what they could see the security system wasn’t going to pose much of a problem for them. There were several cameras monitoring the grounds but they were constantly in motion, sweeping back and forth across the lawn. The time lapse between passes wasn’t long enough to allow an ordinary human to race across the open lawn, but it was enough for a transgenic. There was a pair of guards roaming the grounds with dogs, but it took them nearly 30 minutes to complete a full circuit. Plenty of time to get in and out.

 

Krit pointed to the second story. The wife had left the French doors on the balcony ajar when she’d gone to bed. Not the ideal entrance considering the balcony led into the master bedroom, but it was faster and simpler than prying open a window and bypassing the security wires. Syl nodded. All the lights in the house had been out for over an hour, except for the guardroom where a single guard kept an eye on the feed from the security cameras. Everyone else should be sound asleep by now.

 

They dropped from the tree straight to the ground and moved into position next to the wall. They waited until the cameras had moved just beyond their location and then they vaulted over the wall and raced across the lawn. They both leaped and grabbed the stone uprights that were part of the balcony railing. They flipped themselves up and over and landed silently on the balcony. Krit moved to the half-open doorway and listened intently. There were two people inside the room but they were both sleeping soundly.

 

The two transgenics slipped into the room and tiptoed past the bed. Krit turned the knob and eased the bedroom door open. Fortunately the hallway outside the bedroom was dark so there was no sudden gleam of light to disturb the sleepers. They crept downstairs and headed for the office. A massive wooden desk dominated the floor space. The walls were panelled in oak. With their enhanced vision they could make out the hairline cracks that indicated the presence of a concealed compartment. Syl tapped softly against the panelling and quickly located the spring mechanism that opened the secret door. The panel swung open, revealing a small chamber behind the wall. Most of the space was taken up by a large safe.

 

Krit grinned and crouched down beside the handle. He laid his ear against the steel door and swiftly turned the dial, listening for the tell-tale click that signalled the tumblers had fallen into place. Within seconds he had the safe open. Syl slipped the necklace out of its velvet box and tucked it inside her vest. They left the rest of the items alone, hoping Smythe would think the necklace had either been misplaced or stolen by an insider.

 

They hurried upstairs and snuck back into the bedroom. Smythe had rolled over in his sleep and was now snoring gently. The wife hadn’t moved at all. They slipped out the balcony doors and waited for the cameras to move on, and then dropped to the ground and raced across the lawn. They were up and over the wall in a matter of seconds. They melted into the shadows and went in search of a fence.

 

* * *

 

Krit grinned at Syl as they climbed out of the sewers into TC the next morning. “Well, that was fun. Almost too easy. We’ll have to find something more challenging next time.” Krit looked down at his clothes. He was filthy from lying on that tree branch most of the night. “Man, I need a shower.”

 

“I’ll be there in a minute,” Syl said. “I just wanna drop this off first.” She hurried into HQ and tossed the bag of money on the table in front of Alec.

 

Alec looked at the bag with a sinking feeling in his stomach. Syl hadn’t had it with her when she’d arrived the day before, which meant that she’d gone out on her own last night without clearing it with him first. Which meant he’d have to give her hell or have the others complaining about special treatment for Max’s siblings. “What’s this?” he asked, hoping it wasn’t what he thought it was.

 

“A donation,” she said with a grin.

 

Alec opened the bag and groaned mentally. It was stuffed full of money. Not that they couldn’t use it or anything, but if every X went and pulled a job whenever they felt like it there’d be a crime wave and that would give the police the perfect excuse to recall the army. So no one was allowed to go off on their own. Everyone had to obey the same set of rules, no exceptions. He looked up with a grim expression on his face. “Where did you get this?” he asked quietly, his voice hard as steel.

 

She shrugged, surprised by his coldness. She’d expected a little more gratitude for their efforts. “Stole a necklace off some rich guy with more money than taste and fenced it. No biggie.”

 

His jaw clenched. “I don’t recall giving you permission to go on a heist, and particularly not at the Smythe estate.” The room went silent as everyone strained to hear. This was the first major test of Alec’s command. He had to force the 09 rogues to accept his orders or his authority would be compromised. They were soldiers above all, and no military could function effectively with double standard.

 

Alec’s harsh tone of voice reminded Syl of how Zack had spoken whenever one of them had disobeyed an order back at Manticore. Confused and unsure of how to respond, she retreated into anger. “Excuse me? Since when do we need your permission to do anything?”

 

“Since you decided to join us. No one leaves TC without checking with me or Max first.”

 

“We were just trying to help raise some cash,” Syl said indignantly.

 

“I realize that. But no one acts on their own initiative. You have a plan, you clear it with me first. Understood?”

 

“I don’t take orders. Not anymore.” She was furious. They were just trying to help and he was acting like she’d broken one of the ten commandments.

 

“You take orders from me or you leave. Freak Nation is more important than any one of us. I will not allow your need for independence to jeopardize what we’re trying to build here. Is that understood?” he snapped.

 

Syl glanced over at Max, but her baby sister just looked at her with a blank face and said nothing. “Fine, whatever,” Syl said as she turned to walk out of the room.

 

“Typical 09 rogue. Always thinking of themselves first,” Conner muttered just loud enough for Syl to hear as she hurried by. She glanced over at him and he glared back at her, a mix of dislike and disgust on his face. Startled and confused by his animosity, she hurried out the door.

 

“I’m sorry Max,” Alec said softly so that only she could hear, “but they have to get in the game.”

 

“I know. Let me talk to them,” she said. She waited until everything had returned more or less to normal and then quietly slipped from the room.

 

* * *

 

Syl paced back and forth, her hands clenching and unclenching. She’d given Krit, Zane and Jondy an incoherent account of her run-in with Alec and now she was trying to calm down enough to give them the full story. She never thought to see that cold, commanding look on Ben’s sweet face. She was rattled by it. The rational part of her brain could understand why Alec was pissed by their little heist but she’d been on her own for so long now, answerable to no one, that it was hard to bend and take orders again.

 

“Hey,” Max said softly from the doorway.

 

Syl whirled around. “What the hell was that all about Max?”

 

Max gave her an apologetic look. “Syl, Alec had to do that. He has to be in control. No exceptions.”

 

“We were trying to help!”

 

“We were planning on hitting that house tomorrow. That guy owns quite a few rare paintings, and we had a dealer all lined up. Only now he’ll be on his guard so we can’t go in. We have to find another job to pull.”

 

“Oh.” That was all Syl could say once she realized that their attempt to help had cost TC more money than they’d brought in. “I’m sorry. We didn’t know.”

 

“Which is why you need to talk to Alec first, before you do anything.”

 

“So why didn’t he just tell me what we did wrong, instead of yelling at me like that?”

 

“Did Zack ever explain his orders? No, he just expected us to do as he said.” Max paused and took a deep breath. “Look, we got used to thinking for ourselves over the last 10 years. But do you remember how hard it was to adjust to the outside world?” She gestured out the window at Terminal City. “They’ve been out for less than a year. And they didn’t ask for this. They’re not ready to be on their own. They need a CO and that’s Alec. And if this is gonna work, he needs all of us to do as we’re told.” She looked around at her brothers and sisters, a pleading look on her face. “It’s not like it was at Manticore. It really isn’t. The few rules we have are just there to keep everything running smoothly. Please, just try, ok?”

 

Syl sighed and nodded. Max looked over at Zane, Krit, and Jondy and was relieved to see them nod too. They wanted to be part of this new transgenic society, they just had to learn to adjust.

 

“Thanks,” Max said. She hesitated, unsure what more she should say. But the part of her that was still a little girl who needed her big brothers and sisters’ approval spoke out. “Alec deserves all the credit for this. He’s the one that pulled everything together around here. Made it work. Freak Nation would fall apart without him.”

 

“Yeah but, there wouldn’t be a Freak Nation if it weren’t for you” Jondy argued, always quick to defend her baby sister.

 

“You know me. I’m always jumping headfirst into things. But Alec, it’s like he was built for this. Course, given the givens he probably was. Anyway, he really is a good person,” she finished lamely.

 

She turned to go, but the sound of Syl voice stopped her. “Max, do they hate us for escaping?”

 

Max slowly turned to face Syl. Her eyes were dark and unreadable. She thought of what had been done to their twins because of them. She remembered the way Sam and Jace had reacted when they first saw her. Guilt pricked at her, like a splinter in her heart. By escaping in 09 she’d made Manticore an even worse hell for those left behind, and by burning the place down she’d forced them all out into the world. A world that didn’t want them, and that they weren’t ready to face. They had every right to be angry with her and her siblings. She sighed, and tried to put it into words. “Manticore cracked down pretty hard after we got out. Wanted to make sure it didn’t happen again. They were trained to think of the twelve of us as the enemy. It’s hard for them to trust us. But they’ll come around. They will. It just takes time.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

Max waited impatiently in line, her empty jerry can dangling from her hand. She wanted to get her gas and get out of here before the cops recognized her. She pulled her cap further down on her head and tried to act nonchalant.

 

Suddenly a battered pick-up truck came screeching to a halt next to the tanker. Five guys with ski masks and guns jumped out of the truck. “Everybody down!” one of them shouted and fired a shot into the air. Several women in the crowd screamed and everyone dropped to their knees in the dirt.

 

The cops assigned to crowd-control didn’t react fast enough. Two of the thugs had the cops held at gunpoint before they could even draw their weapons. The cops were disarmed and forced to lie face down on the ground, their hands laced over the back of their heads. One of the thugs kept his gun trained on the cops while the other went to join the leader. Together they kept an eye on the crowd, while the other two grabbed empty jerry cans and started filling them from the tanker.

 

Max had dropped to the ground with the rest of the crowd, but then she reconsidered and stood back up. ‘ _What the hell,_ ’ she thought, rolling her eyes as she got to her feet. ‘ _Why not show them transgenics can be useful people to have around._ ’

 

The movement caught the leader’s attention. “I said get down!” he snarled, turning his gun on her.

 

“Nah, I don’t want to” Max said with a bored look on her face. “The ground’s dirty and mud is a bitch to clean.”

 

He stomped over to her and shoved his gun in her face. “Get down and shut up or you’re dead!” he yelled furious.

 

Everyone in the crowd raised their heads a little to watch what would happen next. Max just laughed. “I don’t think so.” She grabbed the gun with her left hand and spun so her back was to his chest. She slammed her right elbow into his gut and then hit him in the face with her fist. His body slumped in her grip, unconscious. She spun and tossed him at his friend guarding the police and he went down under the weight. She blurred towards the third guy and kicked him hard in the ribs and then knocked him out with a left hook to the jaw. She turned as he was still falling and spun back to face the second thug. He had dumped the body of his friend on top of the cops and managed to get back on his feet. He was aiming his gun at Max. She jumped and kicked the gun out of his hand and followed through with her elbow to the side of his head. He went down hard, falling across the cops.

 

Max turned to look at the two guys at the tanker. They were motionless and staring at her in open-mouthed horror at how easily their friends had been overpowered. “Morons,” she said shaking her head. She blurred towards them and grabbed them by the throat and slammed the back of their heads against the side of the tanker. They slumped to the ground, unconscious.

 

Max bent and picked up one of the full jerry cans and walked back to her bike. She strapped the full can on the back and left her empty one on the ground to replace the full one she’d just taken. She was about to swing her leg over the seat and ride off when she heard the sound of a gun being cocked and loaded. She turned to look over her shoulder.

 

One of the cops had struggled to his feet and was aiming a gun at her. “Freeze!”

 

She sighed. ‘ _Do someone a favour and this is what you get._ ’ Aloud she said in a mocking voice, “I save your sorry ass and you’re gonna shoot me for it. What is this world coming to?”

 

The cop hesitated, and she took advantage of his moment of indecision. “Shouldn’t you be aiming that at them?” she said, pointing at the five bodies on the ground.

 

The cop looked back and forth between Max and the thugs. One of them groaned and started to stir. The cop reacted. He rushed towards the guy and smacked him hard on the back of the head with the butt of his gun. The thug went down and lay still. As the cop slipped his cuffs out, Max got on her bike and headed out. She had no intention of sticking around until the reinforcements arrived.

 

* * *

 

"According to eye witness accounts, the five men were subdued by a single transgenic female…" The TV reporter’s voice droned on, describing the scene as the cameras showed the five thugs being led away in handcuffs by the police.

 

Alec leaned back in his chair. “And everybody thinks I’m the reckless one,” he said to no one in particular.

 

Max looked across the table at Alec. “What?” she said defensively. “I didn’t go looking for trouble, it found me.”

 

“Yeah, that’s what I always said, and you never bought it either” he said with a grin. He wasn’t actually mad at her. In fact, her little stunt that morning might turn out to be a really good thing for them. ‘ _Show the world we aren’t a danger. That we can actually be useful to them.’_

 

One of the computers beeped a warning. Dix looked over at the screen and called out “Max, we’ve got an incoming signal. Looks like someone wants to talk to you.”

 

She groaned. “Time to reassure the bureaucrats,” she said as she headed for her office. She flipped on the monitor and sat down in front of the web cam. She was a little surprised to see a dark-haired man in a trim black suit. He wasn’t one of her usual contacts from either the sector police or the governor’s office.

 

“Good morning, 452. My name is Witherspoon. I am the Negotiator. The government has authorized me to make a deal with you on their behalf.”

 

Max crossed her arms. “I’m listening.”

 

He smiled paternally at her. “You must understand, the public is frightened and confused. We are concerned about safety, theirs and yours.”

 

“We’re not gonna start anything. But we will defend ourselves if attacked. Terminal City is our home now. It’s not like it’s prime real estate or anything. You can’t use it, so why shouldn’t we have it?”

 

“True enough. But how will you support yourselves, feed your people? By taking jobs away from decent, law-abiding Americans? The public will not accept that.”

 

“So I guess we’re at a standstill. Cuz we’re not going to surrender.”

 

“As I have said, I have been authorized to make an arrangement. Quid pro quo. You will be allowed to stay in Terminal City. Build your…society, live your lives as you see fit. Provided that you stay on your side of the fence.”

 

“So what’ll it cost us?”

 

“Two conditions. First, we must have access.”

 

“Access? Access to what?”

 

“Your special skills. If the government needs a job done, one of your men will do it.”

 

Max stared at him in disbelief. “You mean assassination. We get Terminal City so long as we take out whoever you tell us to.”

 

“Among other things,” he said with a bland smile on his face.

 

The room spun dizzily. This was worse than anything she’d imagined. The impulse to tell him to shove his conditions up his ass was so strong that she had to bite her tongue to control the rage. One of things Manticore had drilled into them, over and over, was ‘never let your enemy see your weaknesses’. Max took a deep breath and forced her voice to be steady. “And the second condition?”

 

“We put our own man on the ground inside Terminal City.”

 

“Who?” Max asked with a sinking feeling.

 

“Colonel Lydecker. You must see that he is the ideal choice to be our…observer. He knows best which of you would be suited to each mission. And he understands our needs. Do you agree to these terms?”

 

“This isn’t a dictatorship,” she snapped.

 

“Of course not. Forgive me for rushing you. Go consult your fellow transgenics. But I must have your answer soon. This situation must be resolved.” The screen went blank.

 

* * *

 

Max paced back and forth across her office, unable to sit still. She was so upset and furious by the government’s conditions that she could barely see straight. ‘ _How can they expect us to agree to that? Don’t they understand we’re so much more than what they wanted us to be?_ ’

 

Alec forced his own anger aside and tried to remain calm. One of them had to think clearly right now, because too many lives depended on whatever decision they made. He didn’t want to barter their skills anymore than she did, but she had to realize that not everyone in Terminal City would consider the offer a bad bargain. He needed to find the best words to use to get through to her. “Max, I know how much this kills you, but maybe going mercenary isn’t such a bad thing” he started to say.

 

Max stared at him in disbelief. It felt like she’d just been run over by a Mack truck. She staggered back a few steps, away from him. “You’re actually willing to be an assassin for them?” she asked, her voice full of hurt and anger and disillusionment. She thought he was better than that. She thought he’d become something more than just a soldier. She closed her eyes and turned away, unable to face him. Something wonderful had just been tarnished for her and she couldn’t breathe past the pain of it.

 

Alec grabbed her arms and forced her to turn and face him. He couldn’t bear to have her think that way about him, not even for a minute. He wasn’t that person. At least, not anymore. “No, I’m not! Don’t ever think that! I won’t be a killer for them. Not again.” He stared deep into her eyes, willing her to believe him. He pushed aside the pain he felt that she could so easily think the worst about him. This might be their only chance to come out of this without massive casualties and he needed her to listen and understand what he was getting at.

 

She searched his face, trying to read the truth in his eyes. She could see how hurt he was that she would have so little faith in him. He wasn’t a cold-blooded killer. He wasn’t what they made him to be. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, ashamed that once again she’d jumped to conclusions and misjudged him.

 

He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “I hate this too, Max. I’m just trying to be realistic about it.”

 

She held him tight. ‘ _I don’t deserve him. I’ve always been ready to believe the worst about him._ ’ She’d have to find a way to make it up to him, but now wasn’t the time. They had to resolve this. Witherspoon was waiting for their answer. She took a deep breath and leaned back in his arms so she could watch his face as he spoke. “Ok, so tell me what you meant.”

 

“Three things. First, not everyone in TC is like us. Believe me, some of them won’t have any problem with this deal.”

 

Max opened her mouth to deny it and then shut it again as she realized he was probably right. A lot of them had been scarred by how they’d been treated by humans since the escape, particularly the transhumans. They’d gotten the worst of it because they couldn’t blend in and pass for human. They didn’t have much respect for ordinaries so they probably wouldn’t object to taking a few out. She nodded reluctantly and indicated he should continue.

 

“Second, not every mission is going to involve assassination. They need us for other things too, like recon and retrieval.”

 

She nodded. She hadn’t thought of that, but it made sense. They could get in and out of places ordinary humans couldn’t.

 

“And third, most of the guys they sent us after weren’t very nice people. Taking them out wouldn’t be that different from what you were doing for Eyes Only.”

 

She twisted out of his arms. “And what about the ones that were nice people? Who just got a little too curious or a little too close to the truth, like Robert Berrisford?”

 

He winced and clenched his jaw. That was a low blow. “Ok, so we check it out first. If the target’s clean, we refuse the assignment. What are they gonna do, storm the compound?”

 

“Uh, yeah probably!”

 

“Nah. They’d have to come up with a good excuse.”

 

“I’m sure they could come up with half a dozen without even trying!” she yelled, surprised he could be so naive.

 

“Yeah, but if they do that they gotta know we’ll broadcast the truth. The public may not believe it but they’ll wonder, and the government can’t afford that. They’re in enough trouble as it is with voters for having made us in the first place. They don’t need it to come out that they’re still using us for their dirty little jobs. It’s a stalemate, Max. They can’t ignore us and they can’t defeat us in open combat. So they gotta make a deal. This is how it’s done. You always ask for more than you’re willing to settle for. Gives you room to back down and still get what you really want.”

 

She nodded slowly. It made sense. And she trusted his judgement in things like this. Alec was the dealer, he knew how to play the game.

 

“Ask them,” he continued, pointing outside to TC. “Most of them will jump at the chance to go on a mission. We we’re built to do this and to take pride in it. We’re never going to be normal, Max. We’re addicted to the adrenaline rush that comes from doing what we were designed to do. It’s who we are. At least now we have a choice about when and how we get to use our talents. We don’t like an assignment, we refuse it. That’s more than we ever had before.”

 

“Yeah but they want to send Lydecker in to watch us,” Max wailed. “It’ll be just like Manticore again.”

 

“No, it won’t. Just because he’s here doesn’t mean he’s in charge. Look, it makes sense that they’d want a man of their own here. They’re gonna insist on someone. And you know what they say about the devil you know.”

 

“What?” she asked sceptically.

 

“It’s better than the one you don’t. Granted, Lydecker was a prick. But you don’t know what Manticore was like once Renfro took over. Whole new kind of hell. In his own twisted way, Lydecker actually likes us. So if we have to have a spy, maybe he’s not such a bad choice.”

 

Her shoulders slumped. “I hate this. I hate having to agree to this.”

 

“So do I” he said softly, taking her in his arms again. “I wish they’d just leave us alone. But that’s not going to happen, so we have to make the best of a bad deal. It could be so much worse, Max. They could just decide to bomb TC and be rid of us once and for all. At least this way, we have a chance. And who knows, if we can win the public over, maybe we can change the terms.”

 


	7. Chapter 7

Max, Alec, and the rest of the command group watched in silence as a convoy of government sedans and supply trucks pulled up outside their gate. The drivers of the two sedans jumped out and hurried to open the doors for their passengers. The negotiator Witherspoon stepped out of the first car, Colonel Lydecker got out of the second. The driver of the second car grabbed Lydecker’s bag from the trunk and handed it to him. The two men walked calmly toward the gate. Lydecker stepped forward to enter the compound but the waiting transgenics blocked his progress into Terminal City and refused to move aside.

 

“You have your man on the ground now. So get THAT out of here,” Max said and pointed at the FBI surveillance van.

 

Witherspoon and Max stared each other in the eye for several seconds. Witherspoon smiled a fake smile. “There seems to be a misunderstanding,” he said smoothly. “That van is here for your protection, to keep an eye on the local population. They may become…agitated again by your presence here.”

 

“We don’t need your ‘protection’. Now pull it out or there’s no deal.” She glared at him.

 

The negotiator’s smile froze. “Of course,” he said in a slightly sour tone of voice. He snapped his fingers at an aide, who walked over to the van and climbed in the back.

 

Max and Alec stood with their arms crossed, waiting in silence for the van to leave. Finally after several tense minutes the aide retreated from the van. The engine started and it backed up slowly. The transgenics waited until it was out of sight before moving aside to let Lydecker and the trucks enter TC.

 

“We will be in touch, 452. Good day.” Witherspoon spun on his heel and stalked over to his waiting car.

 

Max and Alec led the way as the rest of the command team enclosed Lydecker in a box formation and escorted him toward HQ. The entire population of TC was gathered outside base to witness the return of Deck into their lives. They deliberately huddled in disorganized groups or slouched against the walls. It was a far cry from the orderly rows of soldiers standing at attention on the parade grounds of Manticore. It was a symbol, a declaration of defiance.

 

Lydecker smiled at them in pride anyway. “Morning, soldiers.”

 

“Don’t even think you get to address them!” Max hissed in anger. Then she turned to face the assembled transgenics. “You all remember Deck. But this isn’t Manticore. He has no rank here. So no one salutes him, no one calls him sir, and no one takes orders from him. The government sent him here so they could feel like they’re in control of us. But they aren’t. This is Freak Nation. It’s ours, and no ordinary gets to tell us how it’s gonna be.”

 

Lydecker was taken aback by the depth of anger he felt running through the crowd. He’d known that Max would be angry with him because of what had been done to her and her siblings, but he hadn’t expected them all to be so upset. ‘ _The committee has underestimated them. This won’t be as easy as they think._ ’

 

Alec smoothly took over from Max. “Ok people, we got work to do. Let’s go.” The crowd immediately turned and dispersed, heading off to their assigned tasks.

 

Max walked past HQ to a ramshackle building close by. “This one’s all yours. It’s got four walls and the roof hasn’t caved in yet, which is pretty much as good as it gets around here.” Lydecker shrugged indifferently and dropped his gear by the door. He’d pick a room later. Then he turned and followed Max and Alec and the rest inside HQ.

 

Max pointed to an empty desk in the far corner of the room. “Yours. But don’t even think you get a say in what goes on around here.”

 

Alec pinned Max with his gaze. “Max. Go help Joshua unload the truck.” She opened her mouth to argue and then sighed and turned on her heel and left HQ.

 

‘ _Interesting,_ ’ Lydecker thought to himself. ‘ _So 494 is the one who’s really in charge around here._ ’

 

Alec ignored Lydecker’s presence and turned to face Dix. “I need you to set up a database on every X and freak in Terminal City. We need to know what training they’ve had, any special skills, what languages they speak, what kind of experience they’ve had, and what kind of missions they’d be willing to accept. Recon, retrieval, surveillance…or assassination.”

 

Dix nodded. “No problem boss.” He looked up at Alec and smiled, proud to be of use.

 

Lydecker watched the interchange with interest. The one called Dix had been created to do tech work, but here he was going far beyond his parameters because his CO asked it of him. A distinctly human trait in a very non-human creature.

 

 “This gets priority. Anything you need, you got it.” Alec slapped Dix on the shoulder and started to move away.

 

“Um, boss? You said you want this information for both Xs AND freaks?” Dix asked as he fiddled with a pen nervously.

 

“Yep. That’s what I said.”

 

“Uh, ok. Just checking.” Dix looked down, avoiding Alec’s eye.

 

“Just checking what, Dix?” Alec asked quietly.

 

“It’s nothing. Really.” Alec just looked at him with one eyebrow raised, clearly waiting for an answer. Dix sighed and explained. “It’s just that some of the freaks were wondering if the deal applied to us too. If we’d, you know, get to go on missions, or whatever.”

 

“Of course it does. If the mission calls for special ops, they’ll be the ones sent in. Look, I know how things were at Manticore. You guys were considered second best to the X-series. But this isn’t Manticore. Here everyone’s the same. Got it?”

 

“Yeah” he grinned, relieved.

 

Just then Leda walked into HQ. “Hey boss,” she called to Alec from the doorway. She deliberately ignored Lydecker. “We’re all set.”

 

“Great.” Alec turned to face Lydecker. “Leda will take you to the infirmary and give you that transfusion. We wouldn’t want you to drop dead in a couple of days from some toxic germ or anything.” Lydecker smiled and headed across the room to the medic. Leda refused to meet his eyes, just turned on her heel and led him out of HQ without a word.

 

* * *

 

Max sat at her desk and stared at her phone for a long time before she worked up the nerve to call Logan. The only way she could begin to tolerate the idea of trading their skills for their lives and their freedom was if she could be certain that they only went after really nasty people. Logan was the best resource they had for quickly finding out what they needed to know about the target. But she wasn’t certain he’d be willing to help them out right now. The deal with the government wasn’t exactly the kind of thing Eyes Only would approve of. And considering how she’d ended things between them just over a week ago, he might not want to have anything more to do with them at all. The main reason he’d supported the transgenic cause in the first place was because of her, and she’d rejected him for another man.

 

She picked up the phone and then immediately put it down again. ‘ _What am I supposed to say to him? “Hi, I know I smashed your heart but would you do me a favour?” I’ll be lucky if he doesn’t just hang up on me._ ’ She clenched her trembling hands and took a deep breath. ‘ _Get a grip already. If he wants to yell at you, let him. You can take it. You’re a soldier for god’s sake. Never show fear._ ’ She willed her hands to stop shaking. She grabbed the phone and dialled before she could change her mind and chicken out again.

 

He answered on the second ring. "Yeah."

 

"Hey, it’s me," she said softly.

 

Logan jumped at the unexpected sound of her voice. The pleasure he felt at hearing her voice again was swamped by his anger and hurt. "What do you want Max?" he asked a little more harshly than he intended.

 

She winced slightly at the tone of his voice. "Just to talk."

 

"Oh really? And what do we have to talk about? What are you hoping will happen, Max? That we’ll just go back to the way things were between us when we first met? Pretend like nothing ever happened between us?"

 

"I want us to be friends again."

 

"Yeah, well, friendship isn’t what I want for us Max," he said bitterly.

 

"I’m sorry Logan. You want me to feel guilty about this? Well guess what, I already do. I never meant to hurt you. But I can’t help the way that I feel about him."

 

"And I can’t help the way that I feel about you."

 

Max looked down at her hands. She didn’t want to argue with him, and it didn’t seem like they were going to be able to get past this. "You’re right. This wasn’t a good idea. I just wanted…" She sighed. "I won’t call you again." She started to move the phone away from her ear.

 

"Wait!" ‘ _Friendship or nothing. Is that all I get? It’s not much of a choice._ ’ This week without her had been the loneliest of his life. Logan took a deep breath and tried to force his anger aside. None of this was her fault. Alec was the one to blame. Alec was the one who had come between them and ruined everything. He should be yelling at Alec, not her. He searched desperately for something else to say, anything to keep her on the line. "So, um, what’s going on inside Terminal City?"

 

Max smiled slightly, relieved that he was at least willing to try talking. "We’re negotiating with the government. Trying to reach a compromise we can both live with. They insisted on sending in an observer to keep an eye on us."

 

"Oh yeah? Who’d they send? FBI?"

 

"I wish. Nah, they sent us good ol’ Deck," she said sarcastically.

 

"He’s still alive?" Logan asked surprised. He’d searched for Lydecker months ago, but he’d disappeared so completely that Logan had finally concluded he’d been killed in that car wreck. But then again, the cops never found a body so he probably shouldn’t be that surprised that Deck had survived.

 

"Yeah. He arrived this morning."

 

"That must’ve been really hard for you. I know how much you dislike the guy. But, you know Max, he did help you and Zack and the others take out the DNA lab. And he did help me expose Manticore. So maybe he’s not as bad as you think."

 

"I know. That’s the only reason we agreed to it. But it still sucks."

 

"How’s he gonna survive inside Terminal City? He’s human."

 

"We’ll have to transfuse him every couple of weeks. Not only do we gotta put up with having a spy, but we’ve gotta keep him alive too. Could my life get any weirder?"

 

"Hey, don’t tempt fate. You never know," he teased. It was lame but it was a place to start. It was the way he used to talk to her, before the virus took over their lives and made it impossible for them to act or talk naturally around each other. If they could get back to that, maybe he could show her how right they were for one another. "So what else does the government want?" he asked.

 

"It’s not important right now," she said quickly. "We’re still working out the details." He’d sounded so hurt when he first heard her voice. And now he was making an effort to move past their failed relationship and act like friends, trying to get back into their old rhythm. She didn’t want him to think she’d only called to make use of his informants. There’d always be time to ask for his help later.

 

 Logan smiled as a thought occurred to him. ‘ _She’s got HIM right there but she’s still reaching out to me. Because whatever she feels for him, it’s not really love. All she ever did was bitch and complain about him. And now that she’s with him, he’s probably driving her crazy. So all I have to do is show her that I can give her more than he possibly could._ ’ Aloud he said "Max? Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. I mean it."

 

"Thanks," she said, grateful that he would still be willing to help the transgenics out after the way she’d treated him. "I really am sorry about everything, Logan. Alec-"

 

"Don’t Max," he interrupted. "I don’t want to talk about him."

 

"Ok. I’ll call you. Soon."

 

"Be careful, Max," Logan said before he hung up. For the first time in over a week he felt hope that maybe she wasn’t entirely lost to him.

 

* * *

 

Max woke suddenly, disturbed by a small sound. She glanced around the dim apartment, trying to identify what had woken her up. Alec moaned again in his sleep. His breathing was ragged and he shuddered and lashed out, trying to fight off whatever was hurting him in his dream. She shook his shoulder gently at first and then harder when she couldn’t get him to wake up immediately. “Alec,” she called. “Alec, wake up.”

 

Alec gasped and woke with a jerk. He sat straight up. It took a few seconds for his surroundings to register in his brain. ‘ _It was just a nightmare. It’s not real. It’s not happening again._ ’ He ran a hand through his hair and tried to slow his racing heartbeat. He’d been dreaming about Psy Ops again – the pulsing lights, the mocking voices, the pain.

 

“Alec.” Max said softly. She reached out to touch his back but hesitated, not sure if he would welcome the physical contact right now. “It was just a dream.”

 

“No. Not a dream. A memory.” He turned to look at her. His face was haunted and his eyes were dark with pain.

 

“About Manticore? And what they did to you in Psy Ops?” she asked tentatively, not wanting to push him into talking about it if he really didn’t want to.

 

He laid his fingers against her lips and then brushed her cheek. “I don’t want to talk about it Max. I just want to forget.” He kissed her lightly and climbed out of bed. He grabbed his jeans and t-shirt off the floor. “I’m going for a run” he said as he threw on his clothes.

 

Max sat up and pulled the sheets close around her body. The night air was cool against her bare skin. Alec turned and gave her a small smile. “I’m alright. I just need to move.” She nodded and he slipped silently out of their apartment.

 

He ran and let the physical motion empty his mind. It was still quite early and Terminal City was deserted. The only people around were the sentries guarding the perimeter. He nodded at them but didn’t stop to chat. He ran past a stack of two-by-fours and other building supplies. Some of the X-6s had become interested in home repair during the clean up and were trying to fix up the most badly damaged buildings. He turned a corner and ran across the only grassy space in TC. A pair of metal posts had been shoved into the ground at opposite ends of the field as makeshift goalposts. Zane and Krit had taught the younger kids how to play soccer. Most of them had never played team sports before. Now for the first time in their lives they were making friends and acting like kids. Alec grinned, pleased that some of the transgenics had finally got a chance at a childhood.

 

He turned another corner and ran past HQ. He stopped dead when he saw Lydecker sitting on the steps of his building. He’d risen early and had gone outside to watch the sun rise. They stared at each other in silence for half a minute. “Having trouble sleeping?” Deck asked, just to make conversation.

 

“I wonder why,” Alec snapped angrily.

 

Deck saw the look of pain deep in Alec’s eyes and felt the tiniest stirring of guilt. He started to speak but Alec cut him off. “No. I don’t want to hear it. I already know what your excuse was for doing that to me. I didn’t buy it then and I don’t buy it now. Because I was right to try and save them. They weren’t a threat.” He turned on his heel and ran back to his apartment.

 

As he walked through the door he pulled off his sweat-soaked t-shirt. He needed a shower. Max was still in bed, reading. She looked up from her book, waiting to take her cue from him. He grinned and shook his head at her. “Still in bed, lazybones? C’mon, take a shower with me.” He reached for her hand and pulled her from the bed. Her arms wrapped around his back and he bent his head to nip gently at her shoulder.

 

“Or,” she said with a laugh and pressed her bare breasts against his chest, “we could take a shower later.”

 

Alec took a step forward, forcing her to back up. Her legs pressed against the side of the bed causing her knees to buckle, and she fell sideways across the bed. Alec fell with her, pinning her down with his weight. He brushed a strand of hair off her forehead and looked deep into her eyes. His own were dark and troubled. Max slipped her hands around his neck and gently stroked his bar code. She pulled his head down to hers and captured his mouth. Her lips parted and she drew him in, wanting to taste him.

 

He delved into her mouth, tasting her, wrestling with her tongue. He ground his hips against hers, the friction making them both pant. She could feel his growing erection through his jeans. She scratched her nails down his back to his waist then slid her hands around his sides to fumble at his zipper.

 

She sighed as his mouth abruptly pulled away from hers when he stood. He shed his jeans and boxers in one motion and then fell on top of her again. He nibbled at her jaw, her earlobe, her neck. The feel of his lips and tongue on her skin made her shiver with pleasure.

 

His hands slid between their bodies to caress her breasts. She gasped softly as his fingers played with her tight nipples, gently tugging and rubbing them with his thumb and index finger. His mouth trailed kissed down her neck to her breast. He licked her nipple and then gently blew on it. The brush of cool air across the wet surface caused her to shudder in delight. Then his warm mouth closed over her nipple and the contrast in temperatures made her moan as an electrical current of desire shot from her nipples to between her legs. She arched her back and entwined her fingers in his hair, pressing his mouth down on her breast. He sucked and nipped at her nipple and then worked his way across to her other breast.

 

She moaned and thrust her hips against his. She slid one hand between their bodies and reached for his hard shaft. She grazed his tip against her warm, wet opening. He growled and shifted his weight. He braced his weight on his elbows and watched her face as he buried himself in her. She threw her head back, her eyes closed. He loved seeing that look of pleasure and abandon on her face, knowing it was there because of him, that he could make her feel this way. He pulled back almost completely and then thrust himself into her again. She moaned and clutched at his back as he moved in and out of her, over and over, and each hard stroke sent her spiralling higher and higher.

 

She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer, trying to take him even deeper into her. She raised her head and bit his chest hard enough to draw blood. He growled and thrust even deeper into her. She licked at the bite mark and the warm saltiness of his blood trickled into her mouth. Her head fell back and his mouth sought hers. He claimed her lips, and licked his own blood off her lips. His tongue moved in her mouth as his hips moved against hers.

 

Her nails dug into his shoulders as she moved her hips against his, countering each stroke. “Faster,” she moaned against his lips. “More.” He moved his head so it rested in the hollow between her shoulder and neck and slammed into her harder and faster. She panted and moaned as she rode wave after wave of pleasure. She arched her back and screamed his name as she let go and shattered. He felt her muscles clench tight around him and it pushed him over the edge. He shuddered and exploded into her.

 

“Max,” he breathed out as he lay on top of her. He waited for their hearts to stop pounding and then reluctantly rolled off her. She stretched like a cat, her breasts pushing towards the ceiling. “Don’t tease,” he said, “or we’ll be late again.”

 

“Maybe you should think about moving the morning meeting back an hour.”

 

“We’d still be late,” he said with a grin. He reached for her and pulled her so she was lying on top of him. “Maybe I should just cancel the meetings altogether,” he said and brought her hand to his lips and kissed the soft skin on the inside of her wrist.

 

She slapped his shoulder playfully. “Nice attitude commander.”

 

He pouted, and then moved his hands down her back to her ass and pulled her closer. She giggled. “We’ll take a long lunch,” she promised before jumping off the bed. “Now c’mon. I want that shower.”

 

She hauled him to his feet and pulled him into the bathroom. His hands roamed her body as she turned on the water. Max giggled as his fingers tickled her sides. She twisted in his arms and reached for the shampoo bottle but Alec took it away from her. “Let me,” he said. He squeezed a generous amount into his hand and worked the shampoo into her long hair. Then his strong fingers massaged her scalp and she closed her eyes as he reached the tense spot at the base of her skull. “Ohhh,” she sighed in pleasure as he worked the tension out of her neck. Her lips curved into a wicked smile and she reached for his waist and pulled his hips against hers. She playfully rubbed against him and she could feel him growing hard in response.

 

“I thought you wanted to be on time,” Alec said as he pushed her under the spray to rinse out the shampoo. He quickly washed his own hair. He turned to grab the soap, but Max had it in her hand. She moved it behind her back. “Come and get it,” she said with a teasing smile.

 

He gave her a wicked grin and then grabbed her and pulled her tight against him. One hand moved to her ass while the other tangled in her wet hair. He held her by the back of the head and kissed her roughly, his lips grinding against hers. She moaned as she felt his tongue push into her mouth. A current of pleasure shot down her spine and settled between her legs. His hand moved from her ass and deftly stole the soap from her unresisting hand. He tossed it in the soap dish and pushed her back against the wall.

 

His hand slid between their bodies and moved over her stomach and down between her thighs. He slid two fingers into her warm passage as his thumb found her clit and teased it. She panted and shuddered as his thumb rubbed and pressed at her sensitive clit in a counter rhythm to the movement of his fingers. She moaned and threw her head back against the wall. He kissed and nibbled at her neck behind her earlobe. Her hips started to buck against the movements of his hand, wanting more.

 

She could feel him hard against her and she reached between them for his shaft. She wrapped her small hand around him and squeezed it as her thumb rubbed his sensitive tip. “Gimme,” she murmured.

 

Abruptly he pulled his hand away and grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he pushed himself into her. He pinned her against the wall, his strong arms holding her in place. She couldn’t move, she could only cling to him as he pounded into her again and again, hard and fast and rough. She was trembling on the edge and each powerful thrust of his hips threatened to send her over. She clenched the muscles of her passage and squeezed him. He groaned into her ear and thrust even deeper into her. She gasped as she was swamped by wave after wave of pleasure and as she burst from it she screamed his name. “Aleecc!” She clenched again, and felt him lose control and explode into her.

 

He reluctantly pulled out of her and set her back on her feet. Her legs were weak and trembling and she held tight to him, her head resting on his shoulder. “I love you,” he whispered against her hair as the water sprayed down over them.

 

“I love you,” she answered and tilted her head back and kissed him softly.


	8. Chapter 8

The rest of the command team was already assembled and waiting impatiently by the time Max and Alec finally arrived at HQ that morning. “You’re late,” Conner pointed out with a knowing grin.

 

Max blushed slightly and tried to act casual as she slipped into her seat next to Joshua. Alec shrugged as he looked around the table. “Nah. You’re all early” he said with a cocky grin.

 

“How do you figure that?” Conner asked, looking down at his watch.

 

“Morning meeting can’t start without me. Which means we’re right on time.”

 

Lydecker ignored the banter and watched the TV news update with growing interest. A group of armed men had stormed a senator’s house that morning. The senator and his wife were already out for the day but the men had taken several other people hostage, including the senator’s 6 year old son. The police had the estate surrounded and were trying to establish contact with the men inside, but so far they hadn’t made any demands.

 

* * *

 

Syl and Krit walked into HQ after lunch looking for Alec. They deliberately avoided looking in Lydecker’s direction. Having a civil conversation with the man responsible for making their childhood a living hell wasn’t high on their list of things to do. It didn’t even come close to making the list. ‘ _What are we supposed to say to him? “So Deck, what’ve you been up to in the last 10 years besides hunting down my family and making everyone else’s lives miserable? Got any hobbies?” Yeah, right.’_  Syl shook her head in disgust and tried to forget he was in the room.

 

“Hey, anyone seen Alec? We heard he’s got a job for us.” Krit asked the room in general.

 

Conner looked up from the shotgun he was modifying. “Yeah. He’s in his office. But uh, better knock first. Max went in there 5 minutes ago to give him a report and one of them’s probably lost a shirt by now.” Syl smiled as Conner waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Krit smothered a laugh. Neither one believed him.

 

Conner had made an effort to get to know Max’s siblings over the last few days. Syl suspected he only spent time with them because Alec had asked him to, but she was grateful for the opportunity. She wanted to make amends for their screw up and earn the other transgenics’ respect. It was happening, slowly. It helped that Smythe had no idea what happened to the necklace they’d stolen off him. Apparently Smythe had ruled out the possibility that it was stolen by an outsider since there was no evidence of a break in. Last they heard his wife was consulting a psychic about a poltergeist. The transgenics thought the whole situation was hilarious, which made it a little easier on Syl and Krit.

 

Syl and Krit walked down the hall to Alec’s office and Krit banged loudly on the door. Max must not have shut it tightly when she went in earlier, because the door swung open when he knocked on it. They both stared in shock. Alec was sitting in his desk chair and Max was straddling his lap, her legs on either side of him. He had one hand on her ass, the other tangled in her hair, and their tongues were so far down each other’s throats Syl wondered how either of them were breathing.

 

“Ohmigod, I’m sorry, we’ll just, um, we’ll come back later. Much later.” Syl stammered.

 

Max’s head whipped around at the sound of her sister’s voice. Her eyes went wide and she blushed a bright red. She scrambled awkwardly off Alec’s lap and nearly tripped over his legs in her haste. Only her cat-like reflexes kept her from falling in an awkward heap on the floor. She backed across the room and stared at her shoes, too embarrassed to look her siblings in the face.

 

Alec smirked and casually straightened his shirt. “Hold up. It’s ok.”

 

Syl saw the amusement dancing in his eyes and wondered how she’d ever mistaken him for Ben. The only time she’d seen her brother after the escape his eyes had been blank, empty holes. He’d frightened her. The blue lady was just a childhood game to the rest of them, but Ben had turned it into an obsession. ‘ _Alec’s really nothing like Ben,_ ’ she thought, feeling oddly grateful.

 

“We, um, heard you had a job for us” Krit said. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, embarrassed at seeing his baby sister like that. He was just thankful no one was missing a shirt.

 

“Yep. That idiot Melvin Smythe just bought his wife another necklace to replace the one that’s missing. Since you’re such good friends, I thought maybe you’d like to pay him another visit.”

 

“Oh yeah,” Syl said with a wicked grin.

 

“But,” Alec said, dragging the word out to two syllables, “it may be a trap so take Zane and Jondy with you for backup.”

 

Syl opened her mouth to argue and then snapped it shut. She shrugged. “Ok.”

 

“Go see Conner. He’ll get you kitted out. Radios, guns, whatever you need.”

 

“Great. We’ll um, we’ll go now so you can get back to Max’s…report.”

 

Alec grinned. “Shut the door. Tight.” Then he got out of his chair and sauntered over to Max. He placed his hands on the wall on either side of her body to keep her from bolting from the room. “So where were we?” he murmured as he bent his head to reclaim her lips.

 

Max placed both her hands on his chest and pushed him back. “No way. Not when everyone’s listening.”

 

Alec grinned. “You suddenly turn shy, Max?”

 

“Patience is a virtue, remember?”

 

“I’m not feeling particularly virtuous right now,” he said in a low voice.

 

“Good things come to those who wait,” she teased, a smile dancing on her lips.

 

He grinned wickedly. “I’m gonna hold you to that,” he said before stepping back to let her by. She quivered at the intense look in his eyes and quickly slipped out of the room before she could change her mind and tackle him.

 

Dix and Luke avoided looking in her direction but Conner gave her a knowing smile. “Finished your report already?” he asked. Max shot him a dirty look but refused to rise to the bait. She hurried into her own office and collapsed into her chair. She laid her head on the desk and tried to get her breathing and heart rate back under control.

 

* * *

 

The hostage situation got uglier and more and more tense as the day advanced. The police were attempting to negotiate at the same time as they manoeuvred a SWAT team into position. An angry crowd had formed sometime after lunch. Lydecker could hear them in the background of the news report, shouting for the police to go in shooting. He smiled to himself and walked slowly out of HQ. No one asked where he was going. As soon as he was alone he took his cell phone out of his pocket.

 

"Witherspoon," said the voice on the other end.

 

"Lydecker here."

 

"Have you established control already?" Witherspoon asked, surprised.

 

"Of course not. I already told the committee, it will take time."

 

"Then why are you calling me? Do you have something to report?"

 

"A suggestion, actually. Have you seen the news today? The hostage situation is rapidly getting out of hand. Let my kids take care of it."

 

"The local police seem to have the situation under control."

 

"Not for long. Those men in there are heavily armed. If the SWAT team goes in a lot of people are going to end up dead, including the boy. But my kids could handle this in their sleep. Plus, sending them on an ‘honourable’ mission like this should help relieve some of their reluctance to be of service to you."

 

There was a long pause as Witherspoon considered Lydecker’s idea. "I’ll be in touch," he said and hung up. Lydecker smiled, knowing the ball was now in play under his terms.

 

* * *

 

When Lydecker’s phone rang an hour later it caused instant silence in HQ. All eyes turned to watch as he answered. "Lydecker here."

 

"The committee has approved your suggestion," Witherspoon said. "The police want all six gunmen taken alive. A military escort is on its way. I want your men on site within the hour."

 

"Understood." Lydecker stood and walked over to the conference table. “That was Witherspoon. He has an assignment for you.”

 

Max’s entire body tensed. ‘ _Oh god, not yet._ _I’m not ready for this._ ’

 

Lydecker grabbed the remote and flicked on the TV. The image of the senator’s house surrounded by armed police filled the screen. “This morning, six gunmen stormed a senator’s home and took his young son and several staff members hostage. Your mission is to subdue the gunmen and free the hostages.”

 

Max let out the breath she’d been holding with a sigh of relief. Her eyes caught Alec’s and she gave him a shaky smile. This was a good thing. This was a mission she could live with. She turned back to face Lydecker. “What are the gunmen after?” she asked out of curiosity.

 

“Apparently the senator is opposed to ration cards. He feels people should work for a living rather than taking handouts.”

 

“And what are they supposed to do for work if there aren’t any jobs?” Max asked in disbelief.

 

“Somehow that fact seems to have escaped the senator’s notice.” Lydecker said dryly. “In any case, taking his son hostage is not the solution to the problem.”

 

“When?” Alec asked Deck.

 

“Immediately. Your escort will be here shortly.”

 

“Alright. Max and I will handle this one. Conner, Dix, you two are in charge until we get back.” He turned to Max, his mind already busy planning the attack. “C’mon. Let’s go have some fun.”

 

Alec pulled his cell phone from his pocket as soon as they were out of Lydecker’s hearing. "Hey, Sketch, it’s Alec. How’d you like a scoop for the Weekly World News?"

 

* * *

 

Max and Alec followed the military escort through the police barricades. They were supposed to ride in the vehicle, not drive themselves on their bikes, but they’d insisted and the military guard sent to fetch them hadn’t objected too strongly. He’d been involved in the counter-attack against the cult and he’d been sufficiently impressed with their abilities that he wasn’t about to argue.

 

They surveyed the scene with professional eyes. The police had entirely surrounded the senator’s walled estate, and had enough firepower aimed at the house to destroy several city blocks. There was an angry crowd to one side, including a dozen reporters. Sketchy was there with his camera. Their arrival had attracted quite a bit of attention. Max was dressed in a sleek black cat suit that was moulded to her curves. But the males weren’t the only ones admiring the view. Alec was dressed in black cargo pants and a tight black t-shirt that fit him like a second skin. Speculation ran wild through the crowd.

 

Alec and Max strode over to the police command center. The officer in charge stood with his arms crossed over his barrel chest, his stance belligerent. He gave them a cold stare. “So you think you can handle this better than my men?”

 

‘ _Hell yeah,_ ’ Alec thought to himself with a laugh. ‘ _The X-8s could handle this better than your men and they’re only 7 years old._ ’ Alec was careful to keep his amusement to himself. “We’ve been well trained,” he said, his voice neutral. They might need the cops’ support one day, so alienating them now just because they were infinitely better at this kind of thing wouldn’t be a good idea.

 

“Huh. We’ll see. Any of the hostages die, I’m hauling your asses into jail no matter what that government suit has to say about it. You got it?”

 

Alec just smiled politely as the cop glared at him.

 

“How many men?” Max asked.

 

“Six, as far as we can tell. All heavily armed.” The cop leaned forward and pinned Max with his stare. “I want those s.o.b.’s alive and fit to stand trial, understand?”

 

Max smiled. “No problem. Any idea where the hostages are being held?”

 

The cop clenched his teeth and shook his head. The lack of accurate intel was probably the only reason the hostage situation had dragged on all day. The cops couldn’t storm the house without knowing exactly where the senator’s son was located. Their careers would be ruined if the boy got caught in the crossfire.

 

She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. We’ll find them before the gunmen even know we’re in the house.” She turned to face Alec. He was busy examining the roughly drawn layout of the house and grounds that the senator had done for the cops. “Ground floor, east side” he said, pointing to the map. Max nodded. The gunmen would expect any attackers to come in through the front or back doors. A window was their best bet to enter undetected.

 

“This won’t take long,” Alec said to the police commander. He and Max jogged around the wall to the east side of the estate, away from the journalists’ prying eyes. They jumped and grabbed the top of the brick wall. They pulled themselves up smoothly and lay prone on the top of the wall, careful not to be silhouetted against the moonlight, and then rolled and dropped to the ground. They crouched low and darted from shadow to shadow, moving in a zigzag pattern across the lawn. The house stayed silent and still.

 

They knelt beneath a window that led into the formal dinning room. Alec used his knife to pop the catch and slid it open. It was standard police procedure to cut power to any building used in a hostage situation, so at least they didn’t have to worry about triggering any alarms on their way in.

 

They snuck across the room and took up position on either side of the swinging doors that led to the kitchen. Alec cautiously pushed open the door a crack and took a quick glance at the room beyond. The heavy oak worktable had been shoved up against the door to the walk-in pantry, so that was most likely where the hostages were confined. One of the gunmen was off to their right, peering out into the night through the window in the back door. He was standing directly in front of the door. Not the smartest place to be in case the SWAT team decided to storm the house. That door wasn’t bullet-proof. The second of the two gunmen currently in the room was rummaging through the fridge for a snack. He’d left his gun on the counter. Alec rolled his eyes. ‘ _Amateurs._ _Idiots.’_

 

He signalled to Max, pointing first at himself, then right, then at her, and then left. She nodded. Together they slid through the doors and across the room like water, perfectly silent. Their fists lashed out and connected before the two gunmen knew they were in the room. They slumped to the floor, unconscious. Max quickly secured their wrists and ankles with the plastic ties the police had provided. Alec grabbed a small roll of duck tape from one of his pockets and taped their mouths shut. One of the gunmen had a full beard and moustache. Removing the tape was gonna hurt.

 

Alec grabbed the gun off the counter. It was a Glock. These guys may be amateurs, but they were well-armed. They even had on Kevlar vests. Max and Alec each hefted a body over their shoulder and dumped them in the dining room, out of sight. Then they left the kitchen and padded down the main hallway toward the front part of the house, as silent as prowling cats. Logic dictated that there’d be at least two guarding the front door.

 

In fact, there were three. Alec and Max pressed up against the wall, nearly invisible in the shadows in their black clothing. He signalled that he would take the two on the left, leaving her the one on the right. She rolled her eyes at his protectiveness but just nodded in agreement. They blurred and quickly closed the distance between them and the gunmen. Alec slammed his right elbow into the base of a skull and grabbed the guy by his collar to keep him from falling noisily to the floor. He spun and faced his second target. The gunman stared at him in surprise, his weapon dangling from his shaking hands. He opened his mouth to shout a warning when Alec connected with a vicious left hook. Max caught his body as he fell backwards and eased him to the floor. Her target was already unconscious. Alec lowered his first target to the floor and they quickly bound and gagged all three. Then they began to systematically search the ground floor for the sixth gunmen.

 

There was a partially open door in the library. Max carefully glanced inside. The sixth gunman, presumably the leader, was sitting in the senator’s private office with his feet propped up on the desk. His gun was in his lap and he was scribbling something on a pad. ‘ _Probably his grocery list,_ ’ Max thought with a laugh. ‘ _These guys are pathetic._ ’

 

Max pointed to the door and signalled ‘Target Confirmed’. Then she mouthed the word “mine.” Alec shrugged. He signalled ‘Wait’ and then pointed to himself and made the sign for ‘Diversion’. Max grinned and took up position beside the door. Alec moved silently back down the hallway to the front door. He hauled two of the gunmen to their feet and then let them fall to the floor with a loud thump. Max heard the creak of the desk chair as the leader jumped to his feet. He rushed across the room and yanked the door open wide. Max stuck out her arm and clothes-lined the guy. He staggered forward, choking. Max slammed her knee into his ribs and then punched him on the jaw. He fell hard to the floor. She tied his hands and feet and then joined Alec in the kitchen.

 

Together they moved the worktable away from the pantry door. There were half a dozen adults cowering in the corner of the pantry, but no little boy. Alec gave them his most charming smile and held up his empty hands to show them he wasn’t a threat. “We’re with the police. The gunmen have been arrested. It’s over. We’re gonna take you out of here now.”

 

“Where’s the boy?” Max asked.

 

The servants looked at each other, clearly frightened and confused. Max tried to keep her impatience from showing. Finally one of them answered. “I dunno. They took him upstairs.”

 

Max raced upstairs. She found him in the third room she checked. His hands and feet were tied to a chair and he was gagged. He stared at Max, his eyes wide with fear. She smiled gently at him. “Hey,” she said softly and crouched so they were at eye level. “You’ve been a very brave boy, but now you’re safe. My name’s Max. I’m gonna take you to your mom and dad. They’ve been so worried about you.” She quickly untied him and then picked him up. He sniffled and wrapped his arms tight around her neck. She carried him downstairs.

 

Alec was waiting at the front door with the rest of the former hostages. They were supposed to call in the police at this point and let them make the rescue for the cameras. ‘ _Now’s where’s the fun in that?_ ’ Alec thought to himself with a mental shrug. People needed to see the transgenics doing good, helping out, if they were ever going to learn to trust and accept them.

 

Max cracked the front door open a few inches. “Hold your fire!” she shouted. “We’re coming out with the hostages.” Slowly she eased the door wide open and stepped out. The crowd cheered at the sight of the little boy in her arms. She walked down the driveway towards the massive iron gates. Alec was a step behind with the rest of the hostages. His arm was around the elderly cook, supporting her weight. It was the perfect image. Cameras flashed as the reporters took picture after picture.

 

Max ignored the police and walked straight towards the senator and his wife. She was sobbing, her arms outstretched towards Max and her son. Max hurried over. “He’s ok” she said as she gently placed the boy in his mother’s waiting arms. “He’s not hurt, he’s just scared.” The woman clutched her son to her chest while the senator awkwardly hugged them both.

 

Max paused and smiled at the sight. The wife looked up and clutched at Max’s arm. “Thank you,” she said as the tears streamed down her face. “Thank your for saving my little boy.”

 

“Don’t worry about it. It’s why they made us. To keep people safe.” She stared at Max in confusion, not certain if she’d heard correctly.

 

Max smiled and walked away to join Alec. The police commander was gruffly congratulating him for their quick work. “You got the hostages out alive and unharmed. And my men tell me the gunmen are all alive too. I respect that. It could’ve been a lot worse.” He stuck out his hand. “Thank you.”

 

Alec grinned and shook his hand. “No problem. If you ever need a hand, you know where to find us.”

 

“Hun. We’ll see. But you better leave now, before the crowd gets out of control.” Max and Alec nodded and headed for their bikes.

 

Some guy in the crowd noticed that Sketchy was paying more attention to Max and Alec than the reunited family, unlike the rest of the reporters. Curious, he nudged Sketchy in the ribs. “So who do you think those two are? CIA special ops?”

 

“Nah,” Sketchy replied. “They’re transgenics.”

 

“No way, dude!”

 

“I’m telling you. They’re transgenics. Look, you can see guy’s barcode.”

 

At that moment Alec casually ran his hand through his hair and down his neck. His fingers hovered for a second over his barcode, which was just visible above the neck of his t-shirt. Sketchy had his camera ready and snapped a couple of pictures while the rest of the reporters were busy photographing the happy family. He zoomed in and got a close up of Alec’s barcode. ‘ _This is definitely going on the cover of the Weekly World News,_ ’ he thought excitedly. ‘ _Thank you, Alec! My editors are totally gonna love this._ ’

 


	9. Chapter 9

Max’s cell phone rang just as she and Alec made it back to HQ.

 

"I just saw you on the news. Why were you at the senator’s house? What were you doing there?" Logan demanded to know.

 

Max flinched when she heard Logan’s voice. She was not ready to have this conversation with him. Especially not when he was angry and upset. She hurried into her office and shut the door. "Uh, the government called us in," she said evasively, hoping he would just drop it.

 

"The government called you in," he repeated, confused. ‘ _Why would the government ask the transgenics for help with a police matter, even if it was a politician’s son?_ ’ And then it hit him. "Hold up. Is that the deal you made? The government gets to call you in whenever they have a situation they want you to handle? Max! Do you realize what kind of missions they’re going to send you on?"

 

"Well yeah, I’m not stupid! But Logan…"

 

He cut her off before she had a chance to explain. "How could you agree to it Max?" he yelled into the phone. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He felt betrayed that his angel would even consider making a deal with the government. This wasn’t the Max he knew. ‘ _How could she do it? How could she agree to be a hired killer for them?_ ’

 

"Don’t you know how much I hate this?" She was angry that he would misjudge her so easily.

 

"You should’ve found another way, Max. Anything else would be better than this."

 

"That’s the point!" she said, furious at how condescending he sounded. "There isn’t another way. If we’re not useful to them, they’d just find some way to kill us all."

 

"So that justifies murdering people for them?" he asked, incredulous.

 

"Under certain circumstances, yeah, maybe."

 

"Like what, exactly? You think you can only go after people the world can do without? Well guess what Max, you make a deal with the devil, you’re gonna lose your soul."

 

"Which is why we need help from Eyes Only."

 

He didn’t think anything else she had to say could hurt him more than she already had, but he was wrong. Pain stabbed through him. ‘ _So this is why she called me the other day. Because I’m useful to her,_ ’ he thought bitterly.

 

"Logan, please!" she cried, desperate to make him understand. "Don’t you see? The only way I can live with myself is if I can be sure we’re only going after the bad guys. We need your help on this. I need your help. Please." He stayed silent and didn’t answer.

 

Max closed her eyes and forced the words out. "You said you’d always have my back, no matter how things were between us. So help me now, the way you promised you would." She hated herself as she said the words, but she didn’t know how else to get his cooperation.

 

‘ _I bet Alec has no problem with this,_ ’ Logan thought angrily. ‘ _I bet he pushed her into agreeing to it. Bastard. I have to get her away from him before it’s too late. Before he makes her a killer like the rest of the freaks in TC.’_  Max needed him to save her. He was the only one who could, and she knew it or she wouldn’t have asked for his help. He would make her see that she belonged to him, not Alec. He sighed dramatically. "I suppose I could get the information you need through the informant net," he said reluctantly.

 

"Thank you," she whispered, relieved. "Logan, we had to take the deal. We didn’t have a choice. And I have to make it work. I pushed them out in the world. I owe it to them. But I can’t do it alone. I need your help."

 

Logan was pleased to hear the remorse in her voice. She would come around to his way of thinking. He just needed to be patient. "Yeah, you do," he said and hung up.

 

Max collapsed in her chair and buried her head in her hands. She felt guilty for pushing Logan into agreeing to help. He didn’t want to be involved and she’d got him to do it by playing on his feelings for her. Emotional blackmail. ‘ _End justifies the means. All that matters is getting the information,_ ’ she tried to tell herself, but she didn’t really believe it. She was using him and she knew it. ‘ _And I still have to tell Alec._ ’

 

* * *

 

Max slid her key into the lock and gently eased open the door. It was still early in the morning and Original Cindy wasn’t up for work yet, so Max puttered around in the kitchen making breakfast. The combined smells of bacon and coffee finally roused OC. She stumbled sleepily into the kitchen and blinked in astonishment at the sight of Max flipping pancakes.

 

“Boo?” OC said in confusion as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

 

Max gave her a lopsided smile. “Sorry, the bacon got a little burned.” She held out a plate. The bacon was charred and the pancakes looked lumpy. Cooking was definitely not one of Max’s better skills.

 

OC laughed and set the plate down on the counter and gave Max a big hug. “Good ta see ya boo. What’cha doing out and about?”

 

Max pointed to her bag on the floor by the door. “Supply run. Joshua ran out of Mac and cheese.”

 

OC grinned. “How’s doggy dog doing?”

 

“He’s happy. He’s got friends and a job now. Alec put him in charge of supply distribution. No one argues with him because he just looks at you with those puppy dog eyes and even the hardest soldier melts. It’s hilarious.”

 

“And how’s your boy?” OC asked, curious to see if Max would continue to deny the obvious.

 

Instead her face lit up. “He’s my boy,” she agreed with a huge smile.

 

OC’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously? Well it’s about time girl!” OC cocked one eyebrow. “So, is he as good as he looks?”

 

Max’s smile got even bigger. “Ohmigod, you have no idea. He’s…” Max searched for the right adjective and settled for the obvious. “He’s yummy.”

 

“Oh, yeah” OC agreed with a grin. “Straight up, if any man could tempt Original Cindy into swinging the other way, your boy’d be it.” Both girls giggled.

 

“Good to see ya smiling, boo. You deserve it, after all the shit you put up with.” OC gave Max a questioning look. “You tell Logan yet?”

 

Max’s smile faded. She nodded “Yeah. He left Terminal City. He’s back at Joshua’s house now.”

 

“He go all squirrelly on you when you told him?”

 

“Yeah. He’s so hurt. He just doesn’t get it.”

 

“And now you’re feeling all guilty and conflicted for letting the man down.”

 

Max sighed. “Kinda. But you know what the worst part is? I was relieved to see him go. A year and a half of dreaming about being with him, and all I wanted was for him to leave.” She glanced away.

 

OC brushed a stray section of hair off Max’s face. “Life’s like that sometimes, boo. But you gotta choose what’s gonna make you happy. And I ain’t never seen Logan make you smile the way Alec does.”

 

Max turned back to face OC. “I know. I’m done living a lie.”

 

“Alec’s a good man. And he’s crazy ‘bout you.”

 

“Yeah,” Max said with a smile. “It’s mutual.” Just then her cell phone rang. She gave OC an apologetic look and answered. "Yeah."

 

"Taking the boy out through the front door was not part of our arrangement," Witherspoon said in a stiff voice.

 

Max rolled her eyes. "He was scared. Seemed like the quickest way to reunite him with his parents."

 

"Your so-called act of compassion exposed your involvement."

 

"Look, we were just trying to help get the job done."

 

"I’ve been informed that you and 494 used to work with the photographer who so conveniently managed to get a picture of 494’s barcode. I should hate to think that 494 deliberately compromised the security of this operation in order to provide his friend with a scoop."

 

"Totally an accident. We didn’t even know he was gonna be there. We’re not that close."

 

"The press is demanding to an explanation for your presence there. They will be informed that your aid was requested by the mayor as a sign of good faith. You will NOT contradict that story."

 

"Now why would we be talking to the press?" Max asked innocently.

 

"Precisely," Witherspoon snapped and hung up.

 

Max sighed and quickly dialled Alec’s number. "Hey."

 

Alec was reading the special edition of the Weekly World News when Max called. On the cover was Sketch’s picture of his barcode with the words 'Mutant Freak Saves Child From Masked Terrorists!' in huge type.

 

"Sketchy delivered. Guess who’s the lead story of the Weekly World News?"

 

"I know. Witherspoon just called. He’s not a happy camper right now. You might want to detail some X-6s to keep an eye on Sketchy for awhile."

 

Alec grinned. "One step ahead of you, Max. They were in position last night."

 

She laughed softly. "You are so good at this."

 

"Yeah, but I’m even better at other things," he said cockily. "And I bet you’ve been telling OC all about it too."

 

"No way," Max denied. "She ain’t interested. You’re not her type, remember?"

 

"But I’m definitely yours," he said with a laugh. "I think I’ve still got the scratch marks on my back to prove it."

 

"Are you complaining? Cuz I could stop doing that you know."

 

"Oh really? Is that a challenge, Max? Because I’d love to see how long you could hold out. I’m betting it’s not as long as you think." His voice was thick with desire and temptation.

 

Max felt her face turn bright red. OC gave her a knowing look. “Do the two of you need some time alone, boo?”

 

Alec chuckled. "Listen, I hate to intrude on girl time Max, but I got a job for you. We’ve got an unconfirmed report that a group of X-6s are being held at a secure location 30 klicks north-northwest of Seattle. I want you to take a drive, see if anyone’s home."

 

"I’m on it."

 

"Hold up. Not so fast. This is surveillance only, Max. Do NOT approach. I want your word on that."

 

"Yeah, yeah," she said impatiently.

 

"I’m serious Max. Don’t even think about doing this solo or you won’t be going out again." Alec tried to mask his concern for her, but Max could hear it in his voice.

 

She sighed. "Fine. I’ll be a good little girl and play by the rules, ok? No contact. Just get the cavalry ready." She hung up and turned to face OC.

 

“You gotta go” OC said, making it a statement not a question.

 

“Yeah. We got a report someone’s snatched a bunch of X-6s. You think people would learn by now that messing with transgenics is not a healthy thing to do.”

 

“Promise Original Cindy you’ll be careful, boo. Lot of nasty people out there, still after your ass.”

 

Max grinned. “Always. Later.” She snatched her bag off the floor and rushed out the door.

 

* * *

 

Max left the Seattle border control gate and sped down the highway, enjoying the wind whipping through her hair as she flew along on her Ninja. She called Alec when she was halfway to her destination, about 15 miles out of the city. "So where is this place exactly?"

 

"There’ll be an access road coming up on your right. It’s not marked but it’s barricaded so it should be easy to spot. The compound is nearly 10 miles down that road. Find someplace to stash your bike and go cross-country."

 

"No, I thought I’d just drive up to the front door and ask if they’ve seen any transgenic kids lately," she said sarcastically.

 

The road ahead twisted into a sharp switchback curve. Max had only one free hand to steer with because she was holding the cell phone in her other. She concentrated on keeping the bike on the road at the speed she was going, and didn’t notice the soldiers in camouflage hiding in the ditch until it was too late. They jumped to their feet, machine guns at the ready. She swerved but not fast enough. The bullets hit the front tire and the bike spun out of control and tipped over on its side. The asphalt rose up to meet her, and everything went black.


	10. Chapter 10

Dix licked his lips and eyed his CO nervously. One second Alec had been chatting with Max and the next he was screaming her name as if someone had reached into his chest and pulled out his still-beating heart. “She’s down. They got her,” was all he’d managed to say. Now he was staring at the wall as if he could see through it and past the city beyond to wherever Max was.

 

Dix opened his mouth to speak and then hesitated. He glanced around HQ but no one else seemed to know how to approach Alec either so he plunged ahead. “Alec, did you hear anything we could use as a clue?”

 

Common sense suggested Max had been captured by whoever was running the base she’d been on her way to check out. The only problem with that theory was that Max hadn’t been anywhere near the compound when she went down. Besides, how could they possibly know that the girl on the bike was a transgenic on her way to scout out their location? So logically, it could’ve been anyone. It might not even have anything to do with the transgenics. ‘ _Just a random attack by some weirdo._ _Max could handle that, easily._ ’ Dix held onto that hope as a way of keeping fear at bay. He wasn’t a soldier. Manticore had never trained him in how to keep his emotions in check.

 

Alec stared blankly at Dix. Slowly the words penetrated his brain. ‘ _Find a clue, find Max. Because she isn’t dead. She isn’t!_ ’ he screamed mentally at the darkness in his head that threatened to swallow him whole. And then twenty years of training asserted itself. He closed his eyes and replayed the phone call in his mind. ‘ _A sudden burst of gunfire. A small moan of pain from Max.’_  Alec took a deep breath and forced away the fear. ‘ _The screech of the tires as the bike skidded out of control. The squeal of metal sliding on pavement. Max’s grunt as she hit the ground. Booted feet running up, and then the sound of tazers connecting with flesh.’_  Alec’s eyes snapped open. “Machine gun fire and tazers. And no voices.”

 

“So, not the local trannie haters then. These guys were well armed and well trained.”

 

“It’s gotta be the same bastards holding the X-6s.” Alec spun to face Blink, the X-5 section head in charge of recon. “Blink, get your unit out there ASAP. I want to know everything there is to know about that place.”

 

“Got it,” Blink said and hurried out of HQ to assemble his team.

 

Lydecker felt a cold rage settle in the pit of his stomach. He’d be damned if he’d just hand over one of his kids to be experimented on and exploited by another Renfro. He stood up. The sudden movement drew everyone’s attention. Deck ignored the others and concentrated on Alec. He caught and held the transgenic’s eye. “We need more intel. I can check with my contacts. They may have heard something.”

 

Alec stared at Lydecker for a long time, weighing the risk. Deck had put them through hell as children, but he’d also helped Max and the others take on Manticore and blow up the DNA lab. People could change. The transgenics were living proof of that. ‘ _And even if he hasn’t changed, I’d deal with the devil if it would bring her home._ ’ He shrugged. “Agreed. But we’ll be checking with our own sources too. Anything you give us had better be right.”

 

“Of course.” Deck agreed.

 

Alec turned and walked into his office and shut the door softly. He crossed the room in two quick strides and slammed his fist into the wall. A giant crack snaked across the wall and bits of plaster fell to the floor in small puffs of dust. It wasn’t enough damage. He wanted to howl in rage, smash something, make someone bleed. But destroying his office wouldn’t help bring Max home. He closed his eyes and forced his hands to unclench. He took several deep breaths and willed himself to think and act like the soldier Manticore had trained him to be. ‘ _I will find you Max,_ ’ he vowed, ‘ _and I will make sure they never hurt you again._ ’ His mind raced as he analyzed and rejected tactics, planning for every conceivable contingency.

 

* * *

 

An hour later Deck knocked on Alec’s office door. He had a grim look on his face.

 

“Well?” Alec said impatiently as he pushed past Deck and led the way back to the conference room at HQ.

 

“Nothing through official channels.”

 

“Big surprise. And the unofficial ones?”

 

“A strong possibility. About 10 days ago a doctor started asking around for a hire to capture an escaped fugitive. The thing is, he was looking to hire more than just a couple of heavies. He was looking for the kind of muscle you’d need to take on one of you kids. You have any idea who this doctor is or why he’s after Max?”

 

Alec looked at Deck. “Maybe. A couple of months ago Max got shot trying to save a little kid. The hospital found the love bug virus in her blood and called in the CDC. The doctor in charge was really pissed when she escaped.”

 

Alec turned to face the map hanging on the wall and pointed at the compound outside Seattle. “So let me guess. The guys who took the hire have a base north of here.”

 

“Yeah. A mercenary unit known as the Black Hawks. They’re mean s.o.b.’s and they’re well-armed.”

 

“Dix,” Alec called over his shoulder to the transhuman at the computers.

 

“Already on it,” Dix said as his fingers flew across the keyboard, accessing an aerial map of the area.

 

“Conner, I want three assault teams fully loaded. We have to be ready for anything.”

 

“We will be,” the X-5 replied. “I brought in a shipment of real nasty stuff the other day. They won’t know what hit them.”

 

“Good,” Alec said with a cold smile.

 

“Alec,” Zane called out from across the room. Syl, Krit, and Jondy were standing next to him. All four looked pissed-off. “Maxie’s our baby sister. We want in.” They met Alec’s eyes with a look that was half-determined, half-pleading.

 

Alec nodded. “Ok. But you’re under Conner’s command. You don’t move without his say so.”

 

“We got no problem with that.”

 

“Good.” Alec turned his attention back to the monitors. Dix had pulled up the map and was zooming in on the compound. Alec memorized the layout and started adapting his plan of attack.

 

* * *

 

Max cautiously opened her eyes. A bright light stabbed into her eyes and made her head pound. The pain in her head matched the one in her leg from the bullet wound. When she tried to raise her hand to her face she realized she was restrained. She looked around groggily, and groaned. She was lying in a hospital bed hooked up to several monitors and a couple of IV bags. The walls of the room were draped in heavy plastic and the section covering the door had a biohazard warning symbol on it. ‘ _Not this guy again._ ’

 

She raised her head and shoulders off the bed and then immediately lay down flat again with her eyes closed. Whatever medication they’d given her made her really dizzy. ‘ _Damn it. Now I have to wait for this crap to wear off or I won’t be able to walk straight._ ’ Carefully she opened her eyes again. The room spun a little but it was bearable as long as she didn’t move her head too suddenly. She focused on one spot on the wall and tried to overcome the nauseous effects of the drugs.

 

Almost immediately Dr George from the Center for Disease Control strode into the room dressed in full containment gear. Max smothered a laugh. ‘ _This is ridiculous. He looks like something out of a really bad post-nuclear holocaust movie._ ’

 

“Ah good, you’re awake, Mrs. Eastman. Although I seriously doubt that’s your real name,” he said, never taking his eyes off his clipboard.

 

“I told you before, you don’t need all this decontainment crap.”

 

Dr George moved around the room checking the monitors. “You are the carrier for a mutated strain of a biowarfare agent called Zycinor,” he said absently.

 

“And if you were half as good as you think you are you’d have discovered by now that it’s a mutated strain because it’s targeted to a specific DNA code sequence.” That got his attention. His head snapped around and he stared at Max in confusion.

 

“It’s a weapon designed to take out a single person only. I’m not gonna start a plague.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because my bosses wanted the target dead in a big way. That’s usually the point of assassination.”

 

“But why bother? Why go to all that effort to mutate a virus? From what I’ve heard you transgenics were trained to kill in a 100 different ways.”

 

“A 1000 actually, but who’s counting?”

 

Dr George swallowed hard at the deadly gleam in Max’s eye. His gaze flickered down to her wrists, and he was visibly relieved to see that she was still tightly restrained.

 

‘ _Yeah, well, give me long enough for these drugs to wear off and then you’ll see if your stupid restraints can hold me._ ’ Max mentally rolled her eyes.

 

“And considering they cooked up me and my friends, mutating a virus probably wasn’t that big a deal.” She smirked, knowing it probably did seem like a big deal to Dr George. Manticore was light-years ahead of the CDC. “As for why bother, what would be easier than to brush up against some guy at a cocktail party? No fuss, no messy bullet holes, and nothing to suggest assassination.”

 

“Who was your target?” he asked curiously.

 

“Some government contractor who got a little too curious about who he was supplying,” she lied.

 

“Is he…dead?”

 

Max just grinned and let him read whatever he wanted into it.

 

“So why didn’t the scientists at Manticore remove the virus from your blood stream?”

 

“What, don’t you listen to the news? The facility burned down a year ago. I was still out on assignment. So, any chance you could remove the virus yourself?” she asked casually.

 

“Why do you care?”

 

“Because then I wouldn’t have your ugly mug chasing my ass anymore.”

 

“But the virus isn’t the only reason I’m interested in you, my dear girl. You’re a very valuable commodity. You and you’re friends are going to help me make scientific history. Even if it kills you.” He took a prepared syringe off a metal tray by the bed and injected the contents into the IV tube. The room faded and went black.

 

* * *

 

"Hey boss," Blink said over the radio, "We’ve got movement. They just parked a troop transport truck, a CDC van, and three Hummers in front of the main building. Looks like they’re getting ready to pull out with the prisoners."

 

“Perfect,” Alec said. “We’ll take them on the road. Set up a barricade. We don’t want them getting far.”

 

"Copy that."

 

“How’s our approach?”

 

"All clear. Merc scouts have withdrawn to base. They aren’t expecting company."

 

“Their mistake. We’ll be there in 30.”

 

Alec turned to face the twelve transgenics that made up the assault teams. They watched him attentively. “Listen up, people. Alpha and beta squads, take out the mercs. Hit them hard and fast. Don’t give them the chance to return fire. We’re sending a message here. Gamma squad, get the X-6s out of there. Leave Max and the CDC creep to me.”

 

Jondy opened her mouth to argue, and then shut it again at the fierce look on Alec’s face.

 

Alec grabbed a gun off the pile on the table and headed out of HQ. He jumped down a manhole into the sewers and led the way out of Terminal City. The others followed single-file behind him. He’d sent out a team of X-6s earlier, so there were three stolen vans waiting for them when they emerged from the tunnels. Each squad hopped in one and raced north out of Seattle.

 

They pulled the vans off the road into the bushes a mile from the access road and made their way cross-country to the rendezvous point. Blink and his team had toppled a couple of trees across the road. The barricade was out of sight around a sharp curve, hidden from view of anyone leaving the compound. The transgenics crouched in the undergrowth.

 

"Boss," Blink said, "They’re loading the prisoners now. Five X-6s in the troop transport and two guards. Four mercs each in the Hummers."

 

"Max?" Alec asked, forcing his voice to remain calm and controlled.

 

"No sign yet."

 

Several tense minutes passed. "I have a visual on Max. They’re loading her into the CDC van. She’s on a stretcher."

 

Alec winced mentally at that but did not allow his emotions to show on his face. There would be time to feel later. Now was the time for action. He signalled to the waiting units. They faded into the undergrowth and took up position along the side of the road.

 

Ten minutes later the convoy came into sight. A merc Hummer was in the lead, followed by the CDC van and the troop transport. Two more Hummers brought up the rear. An X-5 from alpha squad stepped out into the middle of the road and levelled her mini grenade launcher at the oncoming vehicles. The driver in the lead Hummer gaped at her in surprise and then sped up in a vain attempt to scare her off the road. She stood her ground and calmly took aim and fired. The Hummer exploded in a burst of flame and flipped into the air. The X-5 dived for cover in the ditch. There was the sound of two more explosions as beta squad fired on the mercenaries in the rear. Burning, twisted metal littered the road.

 

The CDC van swerved dangerously to avoid the flaming wreck of the lead Hummer. The driver gunned the engine and careened around the corner. Alec raced through the trees after it.

 

The troop transport tried to follow the CDC van around the wreckage but there was a chatter of gunfire as the members of gamma squad fired at the tires. With a squeal of metal the transport came to a shuddering halt, tire rims gouging tracks in the asphalt. The transgenics from alpha squad laid down cover fire, keeping the two guards in the cab of the transport pinned down while gamma squad raced up to the truck. Conner wrenched open the back doors. The dazed X-6s were handcuffed hand and foot. “Next stop, Terminal City. Let’s go, let’s go!” Conner shouted. The kids jumped awkwardly to the ground. Zane shot apart the ankle chains and then gamma squad led the kids to the safety of the trees. Alpha and beta squads pulled back slowly, covering their retreat.

 

The speeding CDC van hurtled around the corner straight for the barricade. The driver slammed on the brakes in a desperate attempt to avoid a collision. The van skidded out of control and smashed into the barricade. The front end crumpled completely under the impact.

 

Alec charged up to the van. He ripped open the back door and fired at the dazed soldier inside. The bullet took him in the shoulder and he fell back against the wall. He knocked his head against one of the metal cupboards that lined the sides of the van and went down hard. Alec jumped into the van and quickly checked the guard. He was out cold. He moved forward cautiously, gun ready, to check on the driver and the CDC doctor. Both were slumped against the dashboard, unconscious and bleeding heavily from head wounds.

 

Alec ignored them and turned to Max. His heart beat painfully against his ribs. She was strapped to a gurney, tubes protruding from both arms. Her left leg was heavily bandaged. She looked frail and weak, and despite the fact that he knew how strong she was he couldn’t help the pang of fear he felt at the sight of her lying there so still and pale. Only the slow rise and fall of her chest told him she was even alive. He shook her gently. “Max. Max, open your eyes. You’re safe now. Wake up. Come back to me.”

 

But Max was deep in a drugged stupor and didn’t move. Alec undid the straps and gently pulled out the IV tubes, working as quickly as he could.

 

Dr George winced at the blinding pain in his head and forced his eyes open. He raised one hand to his forehead. It was wet and sticky with blood. He blinked his eyes to clear his vision and glanced out the shattered window at the fallen tree, and then over at the driver. He was still unconscious and bleeding from a gash above one eye and a broken nose.

 

Dr George turned in his seat to look back at his precious cargo, the patient who would ensure his place in medical history. His eyes went wide in shock when he saw Alec hoist her into his arms and carry her towards the open doors.

 

‘ _No! He can’t take her, she’s mine!_ ’ Dr George looked around frantically for a weapon. His gaze fell on the handgun strapped to the driver’s leg. He felt the van shift as Alec jumped to the ground. ‘ _I have to stop him._ ’ He yanked the gun out of the holster and lurched to his feet. Dimly he recalled the firearms lessons he’d taken in university. He flicked off the safely and laid his finger against the trigger. “Stop!” he shouted.

 

Alec spun around. The doctor was on his feet with a gun in his outstretched hand. Alec cursed himself for being so preoccupied with Max that he hadn’t heard the doctor move.

 

Dr George aimed for Alec’s heart and squeezed the trigger. Alec bent his knees and took the bullet in the shoulder. He felt a searing pain as the bullet ripped through him. He dropped his right hand from under Max’s knees and reached behind his back for the gun he’d tucked in the waistband of his jeans. He whipped it out and fired before the doctor could react.

 

The bullet slammed into Dr George’s heart, killing him instantly. The force of it threw him backwards against the front seats. He slumped to the floor, the blank look of death in his eyes. Alec stared at the doctor’s dead body and smiled in grim satisfaction.

 

He gently adjusted his grip on Max, shifting her weight in his arms. His shoulder felt like it was on fire and he could feel the blood trickling out of the bullet holes. He ignored the pain and raced for the cover of the trees.

 

"Report!" he barked into his radio.

 

"Alpha team clear."

 

"Beta team clear."

 

"Gamma team clear. Mission accomplished."

 

"Boss," Blink said urgently, "You got company headed your way. You need back-up?"

 

"Negative. I have Max. We’re almost at the rendezvous. Pull your men out now and meet us back at base."

 

"Copy that." Blink said.

 

Alec raced for the rendezvous point. Conner held open the back door of one of the vans and Alec jumped in. The van peeled out as soon as they were safely inside. He cradled a still-unconscious Max to his chest as Conner pressed a pad against Alec’s bloody shoulder.

 


	11. Chapter 11

Max gradually became aware of her surroundings as she floated up out of unconsciousness. Sound penetrated her drug-fogged senses first. The room she was in sounded different. Quieter.Next she realized she was no longer restrained but that something was weighing down her right hand. She cautiously opened her eyes and then shut them almost immediately as the room spun dizzily. But that quick glance told her that she was lying in a different hospital bed in a very different room. ‘ _TC._ _I’m safe,_ ’ she thought with relief. She fought the nausea and forced her eyes to focus on Alec. He was sitting at the side of her bed. Their fingers were linked and his face was pressed to the back of her hand.

 

She reached out with her free hand and tenderly ran her fingers through his hair. His head snapped up. His eyes were dark holes in his pale face. She could see the bulky bandage on his shoulder through the thin material of his t-shirt.

 

“Hey,” she said softly. “You saved my ass again. Seems to be a habit with us.” That didn’t make him smile the way she hoped it would. She wanted to hear him tease her and make some smart-ass remark at her expense instead of looking so tormented.

 

“Does it hurt?”

 

“The bullet hole? Nah. But whatever crap the doc gave me made me kinda dizzy.”

 

Alec flinched at the thought of Max being experimented on. His hand gripped hers tightly.

 

“I’ll be fine,” she reassured him. “You got me out. I wasn’t even worried about it. I knew you’d come for me.” She smiled gently at him. “So, it’s all good.”

 

“He’s dead,” Alec said abruptly.

 

“Who?” she asked, slightly confused. Her breath caught in her throat. “Not one of ours,” she pleaded.

 

Alec shook his head. “The CDC doctor. He was going to shoot you. So I killed him.” His face settled into the blank and unemotional mask of the perfect soldier. But deep in his eyes Max could see guilt and uncertainty, and she could hear the strain he was under in the deadened tone of voice he used. “I could’ve shot to wound, but I didn’t. Because he hurt you. And I’m glad he’s dead.” He looked at her steadily and braced himself for her judgement. He was sure he’d been diminished in her eyes, because he knew how much Max disliked killing.

 

Max’s gaze flicked down to his wounded shoulder and then back to his face. She swallowed the first response that came to mind and sifted through her emotions. ‘ _Alec deliberately shot to kill. And that’s wrong. But he took a bullet trying to save me. He might’ve died. What if our positions were reversed and it was his life at risk? Be honest with yourself, Max. You wouldn’t hesitate either. We fight to protect the ones we love._ ’

 

Max stroked his cheek. “I’d have done the same thing,” she said honestly.

 

He searched her face anxiously, afraid she was only telling him what he wanted to hear. Max looked him in the eyes. When he saw the love and understanding there, the tension finally eased out of him. He gave her a small smile.

 

Max looked down at their linked hands. “I’m glad he’s dead too,” she admitted guiltily, in a quiet voice. “He was a threat to all of us. He thought of us as things to be used and thrown away, not as people.” She looked up at Alec, a hurt expression on her face. “What about the kids?”

 

“We got them out too. They’re safe now.”

 

Max sighed in relief. Her eyelids drooped and she stifled a yawn.

 

Alec brushed the hair from her forehead and then reluctantly got to his feet. “You need to rest,” he said.

 

“No, stay with me,” she argued, tugging on his hand.

 

“I’ll be back.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. She pouted. “I promise.”

 

“You better,” she grumbled as her eyes slid shut wearily.

 

He tucked her arm under the covers and then tiptoed across the room to the door. He watched her until her breathing evened out and then softly shut the door.

 

“And where do you think you’re going?” asked Leda, the medic in charge of the Infirmary. She stared at him with her arms crossed, one foot tapping the floor.

 

Alec raised one finger to his lips. “Shh. She’s sleeping,” he whispered.

 

“Which is what you should be doing too. You got shot. You’re body needs time to recover.”

 

“I feel fine,” he said with his customary grin.

 

Leda scrutinized him. He was still a little pale from blood loss, but the tension had eased from his body and the tormented look was gone from his eyes. She nodded briskly. “Fine. One hour, and then I want you back here with her, where I can keep an eye on you both. I mean it. Don’t make me come after you.”

 

“Yes, ma’am.” Alec gave her a mock salute and sauntered from the room.

 

Joshua was hovering in the doorway of HQ when Alec arrived. “Medium fella! Is little fella gonna be ok?”

 

“She’s gonna be fine.”

 

Joshua’s entire body sagged as he let out a huge sigh of relief. Alec slapped him on the shoulder and then looked past him to where Zane, Syl, Krit, and Jondy were waiting for news about their baby sister. “The drugs are wearing off. She’s sleeping right now. She’s gonna be just fine.”

 

Zane and Krit grinned in relief. Syl slumped against Krit and hastily wiped a tear from the corner of her eyes.

 

“Can we see her?” Jondy asked anxiously.

 

“Yep. Just don’t wake her up or you’ll have to deal with Leda. She gets a little possessive about her patients.”

 

Max’s siblings hurried out the door. Jondy gave Alec a quick hug before she left. “Thanks for not giving up on her,” she whispered in his ear. She slipped past him and was out the door before he could respond.

 

Alec ran his hand through his hair and suppressed a wince as the movement pulled at his wounded shoulder. “So what do we know?” he asked the section heads that had gathered around the conference table.

 

Blink spoke first. “The kids were captured a week ago trying to sneak past the border guards on their way into Seattle. The mercs were armed with tranquilizer darts.”

 

“Luke is sifting through the doc’s files now.” Dix gestured to the computers. Luke was hunched over the keyboard, his fingers dancing over the keys. “What we do know is that the doc spent most of his life hunting for a cure for all the world’s nastiest biological and chemical weapons. It looks like he was hoping to use our immunity to the bugs to create a vaccine for Ordinaries.”

 

“How far did he get?”

 

“Not very. He took a lot of blood samples, ran a lot of tests, but that’s about it. He hadn’t got around to testing any compounds yet.”

 

“Would it work?”

 

“Probably,” replied a medic who had specialized in neurobiology and neuropharmacology. “But it would require a lot of time and a lot more test subjects. Our immunity to biological warfare is a polygenetic trait. It’s not a matter of isolating a single gene and the specific protein it codes for. And keep in mind, the CDC’s knowledge and techniques are crude compared to Manticore’s. The extraction process would have been extremely painful and quite probably deadly to the Xs involved.”

 

A grim silence fell around the table. “Luke,” Alec barked. “Hack into the CDC system too, just in case the doc logged any of his findings with them. If there’s anything there, wipe it clean,” he ordered. “We don’t want anyone else looking to play mad scientist.”

 

Lydecker gritted his teeth in anger at the thought of what had been done to his kids, particularly his Maxie. “A vaccine like that would be invaluable on certain markets. It would have made the doctor a very rich man,” he announced. “But it costs a great deal of money to conduct an experiment of that magnitude. He had help.”

 

“No kidding,” Alec said without looking over at him. “Can anyone say ‘government conspiracy’?”

 

Lydecker grabbed his cell phone and punched in Witherspoon’s number, his fingers tapping impatiently on the desk. "What the hell did you think they were going to do when they found out the CDC was experimenting on transgenics?" he demanded angrily.

 

"Dr George broke off contact with the CDC several weeks ago. He went rogue. The government is not responsible for his actions."

 

"Bullshit. Where would a CDC doctor get the money to hire a full mercenary regiment?"

 

"Colonel Lydecker, you sound like a man with conflicting loyalties."

 

"My loyalties are where they always were. To my country and my kids."

 

"Then I suggest you watch what you say. You can be replaced."

 

Lydecker ignored the threat. "This was a bad idea. They will defend themselves, and you don’t want to see what my kids can do when they really get pissed. So call off the dogs and give up on finding what Dr George was looking for. Or this situation is going to blow up in your face."

 

"Keep your men under control," Witherspoon snapped.

 

"Likewise." Lydecker hung up. He caught Alec watching him. “Morons. They have no idea what they’re up against. They should never have messed with you kids.”

 

“And yet you’d have no problem with his little experiment if he’d been working for Manticore. Ironic, isn’t it,” Alec said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He turned away before Deck could respond. “Luke, Dix, keep me posted. I’ll be with Max.”

 

* * *

 

Alec slipped soundlessly through the door to Max’s room in the infirmary and crept over to the bed where she lay sleeping. She was lying on her back, one arm flung out towards the chair where he’d been sitting earlier. Her hair was spread like a curtain across the pillow. Her face was pale and there were dark bruises under her eyes. He bent over her and brushed a strand from her forehead, his hand trembling slightly.

 

“Mmmm,” she murmured sleepily and instinctively turned her face toward his touch.

 

“Shhh. Go back to sleep.” Alec moved over to the chair by the bed, intending to sit beside her through the night.

 

Her eyes slid open. “Un un. C’mere.” Max shifted to the edge of the narrow bed and reached for him. “You need to lie down too.”

 

Alec kicked off his shoes and slid in under the covers. Max snuggled against his side with her head nestled in the crook of his good shoulder and her wounded leg thrown over his. His hand slid down her side and over the curve of her hip and came to rest on the bandage on her thigh. “You might’ve died today.” His voice was deep and tinged with pain.

 

She gently brushed her fingers over the bandage on his shoulder. “So might you,” she whispered.

 

“I won’t ever leave you, Max.”

 

“You can’t promise me that. Our lives are too dangerous.”

 

“I’ve got your back, Max. I’ll take care of you. No matter what.”

 

“Don’t. Don’t risk yourself for me. Freak Nation needs you too much. And if something happened to you, I couldn’t, I just couldn’t….” Her voice quivered and she shivered in dread.

 

“That’s the one thing I won’t promise you, Max. If you died, it would kill me. Nothing matters without you. None of it.” He wrapped his arms tighter around her and kissed her on the top of her head.

 

She clutched at him, her fingers tangled in his shirt. “Alec…”

 

“Shh. You’re safe and we’re together. That’s enough for now.”

 

* * *

 

First thing in the morning Max received an official call from Witherspoon in his role as the government spokesman. "On behalf of the US government, I offer you our sincere apologies for this unfortunate series of events. I assure you, Dr George was operating without the knowledge of this government or the CDC," he said in a soothing voice.

 

"Well then, since he went rogue you won’t mind that he’s dead," Max pointed out.

 

"Indeed," Witherspoon said, his teeth gritted. "A full investigation is underway."

 

"Whatever. Just make sure no one else goes rogue." Max severed the connection. “Bastard,” she muttered under her breath.

 

She walked out of office and into the main room at HQ. Alec was sitting with Conner, Joshua, and Blink at the conference table. “The government’s claiming innocence,” she called out to them.

 

“Which means they can’t retaliate,” Lydecker said from the corner.

 

Max glanced over at him. “Stalemate.”

 

He nodded.

 

“So we’re just supposed to go on working for them as if nothing happened.”

 

He shrugged. “That’s the way the game is played.”

 

Max shook her head in disgust. She walked up behind Alec and leaned over to whisper in his ear. “Look, I know Deck gave us valuable intel, but I still don’t trust him.”

 

“I don’t either,” Alec replied. “But that doesn’t mean he can’t be useful to us.”

 

“As long as we don’t rely on him.”

 

“Now why would we do that?”

 

Luke shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, reluctant to interrupt Alec and Max. “Uh boss? You wanted me to let you know if a certain development, uh, developed.”

 

Alec jumped from his chair. “My office.” Max and Luke trailed behind.

 

Alec sat on the edge of his desk and crossed his arms. “Well?”

 

“Our good buddy Deck was poking around in the computer files last night.”

 

“He did WHAT?” Max exploded. “That bastard!” Max turned towards the door, her hands curled into fists.

 

Alec jumped up and laid a restraining hand on her arm. “What did he get?” he asked Luke.

 

“Nothing he couldn’t find out on his own from taking a head count. I kept the sensitive stuff buried pretty deep, just like you asked.”

 

“Good. Don’t change the passwords. How’s Jazz doing?”

 

“She’s trying to make one from scratch but she’s having trouble getting the parts she needs. It’s not exactly the sort of equipment the government wants us to have access to.”

 

“Tell her to hurry up. Tell her to beg, borrow, or steal it, but I want it ready by tomorrow.”

 

“Got it, boss.” Luke nodded and hurried from the room.

 

Max gave Alec a puzzled look at this cryptic exchange. “You’re not surprised. You knew Deck would go for the files. And you told Luke to be prepared.”

 

“Of course. What can I say, I’m good.” Alec smirked at her.

 

“So shouldn’t Luke change the passwords? You know Deck’s just gonna try again.”

 

“You dance with the devil, you better call the tune,” he answered enigmatically.

 

“Huh. Whatever. But you are gonna beat the crap out of him, right?”

 

Alec grinned. “Nope. Not today.”

 

“So can I do it?” she asked eagerly, her eyes lighting up.

 

“No,” he laughed.

 

“Oh c’mon. Just 5 minutes.”

 

“No.” He leaned back against the desk, his eyes dancing with amusement.

 

“One punch? Please,” she wheedled.

 

“No.” He grinned at her.

 

Max crossed her arms and pouted. “You’re no fun.”

 

“Oh believe me, we’ll have our fun with Deck. Just not right now.”

 

“Fine,” she grumbled. “But I better be in on it.”

 


	12. Chapter 12

“Hey boss,” Jazz called from the doorway of HQ. “I got that, um, supply list you wanted.”

 

Alec caught Max’s eye and jerked his head in the direction of his office, indicating she should join him and Jazz.

 

“It’s ready?” Alec asked the mechanic as soon as the three of them were alone. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

 

“Yeah. Sorry for the delay.” Jazz pulled a tiny bugging device out of her pocket.

 

“Who we gonna bug?” Max asked excitedly.

 

“Lydecker’s phone,” Alec answered with a grin.

 

“Hey, this is more than just a bug,” Jazz said indignantly. “This baby includes a mic, a locator, AND if Deck says something we don’t like, we can use it to short-circuit the phone and disconnect the call. That’s why it took me so long to get the parts together.”

 

“Cool,” Max said.

 

“Lesson number one, never turn your back on your enemy.” The three X5s exchanged grins.

 

“I want it in place tonight,” Alec ordered.

 

“No problem,” Jazz said and left with a cheerful wave.

 

Max closed the door behind Jazz and leaned against it, a mischievous look in her eyes.

 

Alec looked at her with one eyebrow cocked and grinned. “You still here?”

 

“Maybe I have something to report to my CO too” she said innocently.

 

“Oh, really.” He looked at her empty hands. “So where’s the report?”

 

Max playfully brushed one finger across her lips and licked the tip of it with her tongue. Alec stepped closer, his eyes locked on her mouth. He grinned wickedly. “Well let’s have it then.”

 

Alec bent his head and kissed her deeply, his tongue sliding into her mouth to tangle with hers. He placed his hands on her waist under her shirt and then slowly slid his hands up her body to cup her breasts. His thumbs traced idle circles over her hard peaks, sending a jolt of pleasure coursing through her body. Max shivered in delight at his touch and bit his lower lip. He growled and pinned her body between him and the door. His hips ground against hers and she could feel him pressing against her, already hard.

 

Max laid both her hands on his chest and pushed, forcing him to back up step-by-step until his knees bumped up against his desk chair and he fell back into it. She knelt between his legs and swiftly unbuttoned his jeans. He watched her tug at his clothing, his eyes dark with desire. She slid one hand inside his boxers and pulled his erection free of his clothing. She held his hard shaft in her small hand and the sight of it, the proof of his desire for her, made her heart race. She licked her lips hungrily, her own desire like an ache deep inside her. She watched his face as her tongue snaked out and tasted him. His breath caught in his throat. “Maaax,” he moaned.

 

Her lips curved into a wicked smile and she slowly ran the tip of her tongue up his length from base to tip. She swirled her tongue around and over his sensitive head. He groaned softly. He was rapidly losing all ability to think. She parted her lips and took him into her warm, wet mouth. His hands moved to capture the back of her head and hold her in place. She sucked on the head of his shaft and his hips jerked as her teeth lightly grazed his flesh. Then she took in more of him, her mouth creating a delicious pressure that enveloped him. He moaned her name again as she engulfed him. She moved her head so that he slid in and out of her mouth as she suckled him, her tongue dancing along his hard shaft. His hips jerked against the action of her mouth. His eyes were closed, his body tense with pleasure. “Max. Oh god, Max” he whispered as her mouth moved over him. She felt his body shudder. He was teetering on the edge, ready to burst from the sweet torture of her mouth on him.

 

He shifted his grip from the back of her head to under her arms and he lifted her up so he could capture her lips with his. He could taste himself in her mouth. He kissed her forcefully, his tongue sliding into her mouth to fight with hers. He fumbled impatiently with the zipper of her jeans and slid one hand inside her panties. She was already slick with desire. His fingers moved inside her, stroking her, teasing her, and she moaned against his lips as his thumb brushed her clit. His hand and lips were insistent, and she felt herself soaring. Lights danced and exploded behind her closed eyes. Suddenly she couldn’t wait any longer. She wanted, needed to feel him inside her. She kicked off her boots and then pulled away from the kiss so she could shed her jeans and underwear.

 

She straddled his lap and sank down onto him, impaling herself on his hard spear. He filled her completely. He growled at the feel of being buried in her warm flesh. She writhed playfully on his lap and his teeth nipped at her neck, hard enough to draw blood and mark her as his. She tilted her head and kissed him hungrily as his hands grasped her hips, guiding her movements. He rocked her hips back and forth, his hips jerking upwards, thrusting him further into her hot depths. She gripped the chair back and took control, her hips moving hard and fast, pumping him. He bruised his lips against hers. He groaned as she moved faster and faster, sliding all the way up, almost off him, only to slam down again, taking him fully into her, over and over. She rode him mercilessly until they were both drowning in sensation, swamped by wave after wave of pleasure. He lost control and his mind shattered as his body exploded into hers. She felt him shudder inside her as he burst and it sent her over the edge into darkness. She arched her back, her muscles clenching him tight. She bit her tongue hard to keep from screaming his name.

 

She collapsed against his chest and tried to catch her breath. He wrapped his arms around her and held her still, not wanting her to move yet.

 

“I definitely need to ‘report’ to you more often” she said with a soft laugh. She stayed on his lap until their heart rates returned to normal, and then reluctantly got to her feet. Alec sighed in disappointment when she eased her body up off his.

 

“Hey, I gotta get dressed before someone barges in here wanting to talk to our intrepid leader,” she said as she bent down to retrieve her clothes from the floor. Alec suppressed the urge to slap her bare bottom. Max straightened up quickly and glared at him through narrowed eyes as if she knew what thoughts had flashed through his mind.

 

“What?” he asked innocently. “I didn’t do anything.”

 

She shoved her legs into her pants. “You’re finally learning.”

 

He flashed her a cocky grin and buttoned up his jeans. “Self-preservation. Knowing your aim, you’d probably smack me on the bullet hole and I don’t feel like bleeding right now.”

 

Max stuck her tongue out at him and then knelt to do up her boots. “I gotta go see Original Cindy. I’ll be back in an hour.”

 

“What? Not a smart idea.” His heart thudded in his chest at the thought of Max alone in the city, exposed and vulnerable to a retaliatory attack.

 

“Excuse me? What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

 

He ignored the warning in her tone. “Max, you were kidnapped two days ago, remember? The mercenaries may be looking for payback and you’re the obvious target. They know who you are, and what you look like.” 

 

“So? Alec, I am NOT gonna hide in here like some scared little girl. I can take care of myself.”

 

Alec snorted. He grabbed his jacket and patted the pockets to make sure he had his keys and his cell.

 

“What do you think you’re doing?” She watched him through narrowed eyes.

 

“What does it look like? I’m going with you.”

 

“No, you’re not.” She glared at him with her hands on her hips. He glared back, his arms crossed over his chest. Their eyes locked.

 

Alec broke eye contact with a sigh and ran his hand through his hair. He knew he was over-reacting. Worse, he was acting just like Logan. “Sorry. Momentary fit of insanity. It won’t happen again. Say hi to OC for me.”

 

Max’s anger faded when she caught sight of the fear lurking in the back of Alec’s eyes. She curled one hand behind his neck and brought his head down to meet her kiss. His laid his hands lightly on her hips and he touched his forehead to hers.

 

“I can look after myself. Most of the time. And I’ll only be gone an hour.”

 

He nodded. “But if you’re not back in one hour, I’m coming after you. And then I’m gonna kick YOUR ass.”

 

Her lips curved into a smile. “Deal.”

 

* * *

 

“Hey, handsome. How’s my suga?” asked a familiar voice.

 

Alec looked up in surprise from the supply lists he was working on at the conference table. His feet dropped from the table to the floor with a thump as he craned his neck to look over at the door.

 

Original Cindy, Sketchy, and Normal walked into HQ. Max was a step behind them, a huge smile on her face. Alec grinned and sauntered across the room to join them. OC gave him a big hug. He and Sketchy did some complicated handshake, and Normal lightly punched his golden boy on the arm.

 

“Boo said one night wouldn’t kill us,” OC explained with a shrug. “And I gotta make sure you’re treating my girl right.”

 

Sketchy cocked his head and looked at Alec’s shoulder. “Dude, you get shot again?”

 

Normal looked at Alec in alarm. Alec shrugged. “No big deal. We heal fast.”

 

“So how many times you been shot?” Sketchy asked.

 

“Dunno. I’ve lost count.”

 

“Just give him the bottle moron,” Normal said gruffly.

 

“Oh yeah. Here, we got you this. Sort of like a housewarming present.” Sketchy pulled a 40 oz bottle of scotch out of his bag. Alec rolled his eyes and laughed.

 

Max pinned Lydecker with her gaze when she noticed him watching from the shadows. She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “What, you never thought we could have normal friends who wouldn’t be freaked out by the truth? Who’d actually accept us for who we are? You don’t know us. We aren’t what you think we are.”

 

She turned her back on him and joined OC. The two girls withdrew a short way from the guys so they could discuss ‘girlie’ things in private.

 

“Thanks for the scoop, dude,” Sketchy said excitedly to Alec. “My editors totally flipped over the story about how you guys saved that senator’s kid.”

 

“Yeah, well, assassination wasn’t the only thing we were trained for,” Alec said with a shrug.

 

Normal glanced around the room in curiosity. His eyes lit up when he saw Gem walk into HQ with her baby.

 

“Hey,” Gem said and smiled shyly at Normal. “Somebody wanted to say hi.” She placed the baby into Normal’s eager arms. He held her up so he could get a good look at her. She was growing fast; like all X-series babies she was advanced for her age.

 

“Well hello there precious,” Normal said with a silly grin on his face. Hope cooed and grabbed at his nose. He kissed her outstretched hand as she batted at his face.

 

“I wanted to name her after you, but Normal didn’t seem like the right name for a freak.”

 

“You’re not a freak, are you sweetheart,” he cooed. “No, you’re just perfect.” He turned his head to look at Gem. “Hope is the perfect name for this little one.”

 

Gem smiled. “She likes you. I can tell because she’s not crying.”

 

Normal shrugged. “I’m a people person.”

 

“Drinks are on me,” Alec called out, signalling to everyone in the room except Lydecker.

 

“You got a bar here? Cool. Does it have a pool table?” Sketchy asked eagerly.

 

OC rolled her eyes. “Fool. When you gonna get it through your thick-ass skull you can’t beat a transgenic at pool?”

 

Sketchy shrugged. “Some of that skill’s gotta rub off on me eventually. Karma.”

 

Alec slapped him on the back. “Don’t deprive the man of his dream, OC. Because I could always use the extra cash.”

 

“Just give the man a donation and save yourself the humiliation,” OC advised Sketch, who just ignored her.

 

“Hey Luke, Dix, c’mon,” Alec called out. “You too.” Dix hurried over to join them. Luke followed more slowly, his head ducked to hide his proud smile at the invitation to hang with his CO. Alec led the way to the bar. His wrapped his arm around Max’s shoulders and she slid hers around his waist.

 

Normal and Gem brought up the rear. He jiggled Hope up and down as they walked, and the baby gurgled in pleasure. He glanced over at Gem and saw her stifle a yawn.

 

“You look tired.”

 

She shrugged. “She’s a handful. And child care wasn’t part of basic training.”

 

“Where’s the baby’s father? He should be helping you,” Normal said, bothered by the thought of Gem struggling to take care of an extremely active baby all by herself.

 

“I dunno. I was hoping he’d be here,” she gestured at TC, “but he’s not. Which means he’s probably dead.”

 

“Gem, I’m sorry,” Normal said awkwardly.

 

She looked up at him. “It’s not what you think. We weren’t in love, or anything. We were assigned to be breeding partners, that’s all,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

 

Normal looked at her in confusion. “You were ASSIGNED to be BREEDING PARTNERS?”

 

Gem nodded. “Last year, Max blew up the DNA lab at Manticore. That’s how she got re-captured. So the only way to make more freaks was to pair us off and breed us.”

 

Normal shook his head in disbelief. He’d always assumed Gem had gotten pregnant on the outside, not as part of some sick experiment. “They made you…” He trailed off, unsure about the direction the conversation was going in.

 

“Yep. Every night until I got pregnant. Actually, that’s how Max and Alec met. They were assigned.”

 

“Huh,” Normal said and glanced at the pair. He looked back at Hope. She cooed at him and grabbed at his glasses. “What would’ve happened to her?”

 

Gem stroked the back of Hope’s head. “They wouldn’t have let me carry her to term. She would’ve been implanted in a surrogate, and raised as just another X-series soldier. I never would’ve known which one she was.”

 

Normal felt a sudden wrenching pity. If Gem weren’t living in the middle of a toxic waste dump, she never would have known her own child. Guilt and anger flooded through him. He was ashamed that humans could treat any living creature this way in the name of science and national security. He felt physically ill.

 

He handed Hope back to Gem and cleared his throat. “You need toys for her,” he said gruffly, looking straight ahead. “Educational ones, to keep her busy. And books. It’s important to read to kids. I’ll get the best I can find and send them to you.”

 

Gem opened her mouth to protest but stopped when she saw the determined look on Normal’s face. She stood on tiptoe and kissed Normal on the cheek. “Thank you,” she said simply.

 

Normal smiled at her as she walked away, humming softly to Hope. He looked over at where the others were waiting for him to catch up. He felt his face blush bright red with embarrassment. He scowled and braced himself for the comments he was sure would come.

 

Max’s lips twitched and there was an evil glimmer in her eyes. She was sorely tempted to make several bitchy comments after all the abuse she’d taken from Normal through the years. Alec pinched her arm and shook one finger at her. “Play nice, Maxie,” he whispered.

 

Max rolled her eyes, but she bit her tongue and looked away.

 

Alec led the way through the door of the run-down warehouse they’d converted into a bar. The room was mostly filled with Xs, both 5’s and 6’s, although there were a couple of tables of freaks in the far corner. There was a grey area between the two groups where a few Xs and freaks mingled, but mostly the transgenics kept to their own kind. Old habits were still deeply engrained.

 

Alec glanced around the cavernous room and flashed everyone a good-natured grin. They all unconsciously straightened their spines slightly when he looked their way. He headed for the bar. It was manned by an albino Arctic soldier. His ragged hair stood up in tufts all over his head.

 

“Hey boss,” the albino said cheerfully. He snaked out an arm and grabbed a bottle of scotch off the shelves that lined the wall behind him.

 

“Frost, say hello to Original Cindy, Sketchy, and Normal.”

 

Frost nodded politely at each of them in turn. He poured Alec’s drink first and then a couple of pitchers of beer for the rest.

 

They made their way to an empty table in the back. Normal and Sketchy looked around curiously, trying not to stare when they spotted the freaks in the corner.

 

“Welcome to Freak Nation,” Alec said and raised his glass in a toast.

 


	13. Chapter 13

Early the next morning the three humans gathered outside the apartment building where they’d crashed the night before, anxious to get out of TC before the toxins kicked in.

 

“Morning, boo,” OC called to Max as she sauntered over to join them. “Where’s your boy?”

 

“Training,” Max replied with a vague wave down the street.

 

Sketch elbowed Normal in the ribs and jerked his head in the general direction Max had indicated. “C’mon.” Normal grinned in excitement, thrilled at the prospect of seeing his golden boy in action. The two men slipped away and hurried down the street.

 

Normal suppressed a small sigh when he realized Alec wasn’t actually fighting, merely supervising a group of kids. But his initial disappointment quickly faded as he got a better look at the scene. Alec was crouched on his heels watching closely as two young boys sparred. He stood when his friends approached and signalled to the kids. “Dodge, Fish, defend. The rest of you, go to it.”

 

The two boys, Dodge and Fish, stood back-to-back in their fighter’s stance while the other four X-8 kids circled around, darting in and out as they sought an opening in the two boys’ defences. Sketch and Normal watched mesmerized as the defenders parried a blur of blows and kicks aimed at them from all sides.

 

“No wonder you were so good in the cage. I bet these KIDS could’ve taken on those guys,” Normal said, awestruck by the display of power and dexterity from a group of 8 year olds.

 

“It’s a dangerous world out there. They have to be ready to defend themselves,” Alec said quietly, not taking his eyes off the kids. The two defenders were managing to hold their own, but just barely. One of the girls attacked with a potentially lethal jump kick. Fish grabbed her outstretched foot and tossed her backwards. She expertly flipped herself upright in midair and landed on her feet.

 

“Whoa. How’d she do that?” Sketch asked.

 

“Feline DNA. Cats always land on their feet,” Alec answered absently.

 

“So, is this how you grew up? Fighting all the time?”

 

“Fighting was the easy part,” Alec said flatly.

 

“And the hard part?” Sketchy asked hesitantly.

 

Alec slowly turned to look at him. All personality was drained from his face. His eyes were dead. He didn’t answer, just stared at Sketch with a perfectly blank look on his face.

 

Sketchy gulped but couldn’t look away. The Alec he knew was gone, and in his place stood an emotionless, robotic soldier. A tool. Sketch tried to imagine what his friend had gone through to make him look like that, and failed miserably. “People should know what you went through, man. It might help.”

 

Alec looked at him steadily for a minute. “Not me. And not Max. But you can ask them.” He gestured at the kids.

 

“That’s enough,” he called out, seconds before the defenders would have been overwhelmed by the attackers. The kids gathered in a rough semi-circle front of Alec, their eyes trained on him.

 

“This is Sketchy. He’s a friend. He wants to talk to you.” They nodded as one and then shifted positions to face Sketch. Their eyes gave away nothing of what they were thinking.

 

Alec gestured to Normal. “C’mon. Max’ll take you home.” He spun on his heel and stalked down the street to where the girls were waiting, forcing Normal to jog to catch up.

 

Normal looked sidelong at Alec. His face was still closed and he walked stiffly, his spine held perfectly straight, as if his commanding officers from Manticore were watching him march past. The guilt and anger Normal felt the night before over what had been done to the transgenics came flooding back, full-force. ‘ _No one has the right to treat another living creature that way,_ ’ he thought angrily.

 

Max glanced up as they approached and Alec quickly slapped his trademark grin on his face. He pulled her close for a quick kiss.

 

“Be good, suga,” OC said to Alec, one hand on her hip.

 

“Always.” Alec grinned at her. He held out his hand to Normal.

 

Normal cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable. “Take care of yourself,” he said gruffly. “And keep an eye on missy-miss here. She’ll get you into trouble if you don’t watch out.”

 

“Yeah, but that’s half the fun,” Alec answered with a wink.

 

* * *

 

An X-5 dressed from head to toe in black jogged into HQ late in the afternoon the next day. He pulled a disk from his pocket and handed it to Alec with a flourish. “Here you go, boss.”

 

“Any trouble?” Alec asked as he tossed the disk to Dix, who shoved it in the computer and started copying the files.

 

“Nah,” the X-5 said shaking his head. “It was right where Witherspoon said it would be.”

 

“The files are encrypted, but it won’t take long,” Dix said without glancing up from the screen.

 

“It’s schematics for body armour,” he called out a few minutes later. “Pretty advanced stuff.”

 

Alec leaned over Dix’s shoulder. He whistled when he saw the schematics. “This stuff’s heavy-duty. Nothing we can’t handle, but still.” Alec shrugged. “Can you corrupt the original files? Just enough to make the design unworkable? No sense handing it over to a piece of shit like Witherspoon.” He kept his voice low so only the transhuman could hear.

 

“No problem.” Dix’s fingers flew over the keyboard. “That should do it.” He handed the disk to Alec.

 

Alec straightened up. “Get Blink and Conner in here,” he ordered in a normal voice. “They’ll want to prepare counter-measures, in case we ever come up against this stuff.”

 

“Sure thing, boss.” Dix jumped out of his seat and headed for the door. He nearly bowled over Jazz as she walked into HQ. She caught Alec’s eye and gave him a thumbs-up sign, indicating the bug had been planted during the night.

 

Alec tilted his head at her in a barely perceptible nod. He walked over to Lydecker and held out the disk. “I think we deserve to know what we’re risking life and limb for,” he said with a challenging stare.

 

Deck gave him a tiny smile and nodded. Only a naive fool or an idealist wouldn’t take advantage of the opportunity. He took the disk from Alec and pocketed it. He waited until Alec had walked away and then picked up his cell and dialled Witherspoon. "Mission complete," he announced.

 

"Good. But enough soft missions. I need them operational. Now."

 

"Have my kids ever let you down?" Lydecker asked patiently.

 

"The past is not the issue. The question is whether they will continue to serve as required. Otherwise they are no use to us."

 

"You have a target." Lydecker made it a statement, not a question.

 

"Yes."

 

"They’ll want to know why."

 

"Oh, really." Witherspoon chuckled, a dry laugh that grated on Deck’s ear. "Don’t tell me they’re developing a conscience."

 

"As I told the committee, they have developed beyond their original parameters."

 

"The target is a traitor to this government. Is that sufficient reason for your precious children to obey a direct order?"

 

Lydecker ignored the sarcasm in Witherspoon’s voice. "What about the contact?"

 

"Not at this time. I’m sending you the file now. You have 3 days to complete the mission and prove their loyalty. Otherwise we take this to the next level." The phone clicked as Witherspoon hung up.

 

Deck stared into the distance for several minutes, a thoughtful, uncertain look on his face. Shaking himself out of his reverie he opened his laptop and accessed his email. The file contained a profile of the target and few grainy photos of the target meeting with the contact in a deserted park. Just the bare bones of what they needed to know about the target, and very little information on the contact. Deck sighed. He hated working blind. Missions had gone sideways before because one of the players had moved from the periphery to the center stage.

 

Deck typed a command and the photo of the meet appeared on the large screen by the conference table. Immediately all activity ceased.

 

Max went deathly pale. A cold shiver of dread ran down her spine. She sat on her hands to keep them from shaking.

 

“Nice couple. Who are they?” Alec asked, his quiet voice carrying through the now-silent room.

 

“Your mission,” Lydecker replied.

 

Max closed her eyes as the room spun dizzily. Alec reached under the table and laid his warm hand on her knee.

 

“The man on the right is James Miller,” Lydecker announced calmly. “He works for a government weapons contractor that specializes in tactical weapons, missiles, air defence, you name it. The man he’s meeting with is a legman for an international arms dealer known to supply America’s enemies abroad.”

 

Deck pressed a key and the image shifted to a close-up of the target. “Mr. Miller is selling US weaponry to the highest bidder. He is a traitor to this country. You have three days to eliminate the target and complete your mission.”

 

Assassination. The word reverberated inside Max’s head. Her stomach heaved and she thought she might be sick.

 

Alec stood and walked over to the screen. He scrutinized the image of the target for several seconds and then turned to face the transgenics. He deliberately ignored Lydecker. “Luke, get me schematics of the target’s house, office, everything. Dix, see what you can dig up on this guy. We need to know his habits.”

 

Dix nodded slightly in understanding of the implicit message. Alec turned to face the rest of the team. “Blink, get your team out there. Full recon. Conner, Jazz, I need a list of what we got in stock that might come in handy. If anyone has any bright ideas they want to share, I’ll be in my office.”

 

Blink, Conner, Dix and Luke nodded in acknowledgement of Alec’s orders and hurried off to complete their assigned tasks.

 

“Alec,” Max said piteously, a sickened look on her face. Alec pulled her to her feet and led her to the privacy of his office.

 

Deck was left standing by the conference table, alone and ignored. He clenched his jaw, his nostrils flaring in anger.

 

Alec clasped Max’s hand tightly and rubbed his thumb in circles across her skin. Her fingers were like ice. Her dark eyes stared up into his, pleading.

 

“Don’t worry, Max,” he said soothingly. “Dix is already on it. He’ll figure out whether the target really is what Witherspoon claims he is.”

 

“But it’ll take him days. Time that we don’t have. We need that intel now.” Max swallowed hard and wished she’d had the nerve to tell Alec before now. This was hardly the ideal circumstances to tell her lover she’d been in contact with her ex-boyfriend. Max took a deep breath and looked Alec straight in the eyes. “Logan has offered to help.”

 

Alec flinched. The phrase Max used hit him like a slap across the face. Not “Logan WOULD help if we asked him to,” but “Logan HAS offered to help.” Which meant she’d been talking to Logan. And she hadn’t told him.

 

His mask slammed into place. Unconsciously he let go of her hand.

 

Max winced guiltily at the hurt look in his eyes. “Alec, I’m sorry. I should’ve told you, but it’s not what you think. Logan has contacts. He can get us the intel fast. That’s the only reason I called him. It has nothing to do with him and me.”

 

Alec stared at her stonily.

 

Max saw the muscles in his jaw clench. “Don’t look at me like that. This has nothing to do with you. Or us.” Max felt her own anger flare. She’d never been very good at admitting when she was wrong. ‘ _Alec should’ve known I’d ask Logan for help. He’s Eyes Only for god’s sake! He does shit like this all the time._ ’

 

Alec felt the walls of his office closing in around him. All of a sudden there wasn’t enough air to breathe. Max was glaring at him angrily, daring him to question her behaviour. As if he had no say in anything she did, and no right to complain.

 

‘ _The entire time we’ve been together, she lied to me._ ’

 

He burned with jealousy, despair, and a mocking self-disgust. He should have expected this, should have known she could never really love him. He should’ve guarded his heart better, instead of foolishly handing it over at the first sign she might care for him.

 

‘ _Did she even try?_ ’

 

“You should’ve told me,” Alec snapped. He had to get out, had to get away. He pushed past her and out the door. He marched straight out of HQ, ignoring the puzzled looks Dix and Conner sent his way.

 

It was raining. The sky was grey, the rain a thin drizzle that drifted through the air and clung to skin and clothing. Alec flipped the collar of his jacket up and shoved his hands in his pockets. He wandered TC aimlessly with no destination in mind, just the need to move.

 

The solider in him could understand Max’s decision. They needed accurate intel and Logan could provide it. Therefore contacting Logan was a smart tactical decision. And Max was the only one who could ask him to get that information.

 

His mind conjured a mental image of Max leaning over Logan’s shoulder to read a file on the computer screen, laughing softly at something the hacker said.

 

Alec felt a cold finger of fear slid down his spine. He was afraid. Afraid that despite everything she’d said to him, she was still in love with Logan. Afraid that she’d only chosen him because of the virus. Afraid that she would leave him if she ever got the chance and he would be nothing and no one.

 

‘ _What other choice is there?_ ,’ the soldier in him whispered in his mind. ‘ _Asking Logan is the fastest way to get the information we need_.’

 

‘ _Logan_ _will misunderstand. He’ll see her coming to him for help as a sign. He’ll never give up trying to win her back_ ,’ the man in him answered.

 

‘ _Max only asked him to help because she needs to be certain the target is dirty_ ,’ the soldier insisted. ‘ _She’s looking for a tactical advantage_.’

 

‘ _Are you sure?_ ,’ the man replied. ‘ _If that was the only reason, why didn’t she tell you before she called him?_ ’

 

‘ _SHUT UP!_ ’ Alec screamed mentally. He needed the voices to be quiet, to let him think. He trudged blindly through the rain, the emotional and the rational warring within him.

 

* * *

 

Eventually Alec returned to HQ, soaked to the bone. Max was waiting for him inside his office, anxiously pacing the length of the small room. She looked wretched. She was pale and there were faint tear tracks down her face.

 

Alec forced his face to remain expressionless. “I don’t like this. But if Logan can get us the information we need, then you have to ask.”

 

She searched his face, trying to get at the emotions behind his words. “I’m not in love with him anymore,” she said. “That’s not what this is about.”

 

He wanted so desperately to believe that. He snatched her close, his fingers bruising her arms where he gripped her. He kissed her deeply, pouring all his passion and love into that kiss. Just as quickly as he’d grabbed her, he released her. “Call him. Set it up,” he whispered. And then he turned his back so he wouldn’t have to watch her walk out of his office.

 


	14. Chapter 14

Leda’s eyes followed Alec as he wandered around the lab attached to the infirmary, peering at the equipment. His clothes were soaked from the rain. Droplets of water dripped from his hair and ran down his face. Idly he combed his fingers through his hair, mussing it up. Leda suppressed the urge to reach out and smooth it down for him.

 

Finally he turned to face her. His customary grin was firmly in place, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He seemed closed in on himself, remote. “I need a favour.”

 

“Anything.”

 

“I need you to do some research for me.”

 

“On?”

 

“The love bug virus.”

 

Leda’s eyes went wide in surprise. “Why? Logan’s gone.”

 

“Is he?”

 

Leda scrutinized Alec. His face was perfectly blank, his eyes empty of all emotion. He stood almost at attention. That enforced stillness, so unlike him, indicated just how much it mattered to him. Leda felt indignant that Max could leave Alec with any doubts whatsoever. “Alec, you don’t need to do this. Max chose you. She’s not going back to him.”

 

“Because she can’t.”

 

“Not even if she could,” Leda said with conviction.

 

“You don’t know that for sure. Max doesn’t even know. Because she doesn’t have a choice.”

 

“But she did have a choice,” Leda argued. “She could’ve chosen to wait, and she didn’t.”

 

“I want the cure.” Alec crossed his arms and glowered at her, his weight planted on both feet. Clearly he wasn’t going to accept “no” for an answer.

 

Leda sighed and gave in to the inevitable. “Fine. What do I tell Max?”

 

Alec gave her a ghost of a smile. “Tell her you want to run more tests. Isn’t that what doctors do?”

 

“She’s gonna kick your ass for doubting her.”

 

“Let her. With Max, punching is a sign of affection,” he said, striving to act like his old, sarcastic self.

 

Leda pounced on the opening he gave her. “Which proves my point. Max must be madly in love with you, because all she’s ever done is smack your ass since the day you two met. And call me crazy, but I very much doubt she’s ever hit Logan.”

 

Alec had no answer for that. He ran his hand through his hair and looked away.

 

“You two were made for each other,” she said softly. “You’d have to be blind not to see it.”

 

“Just do it,” he said as he spun on his heel and headed for the door.

 

* * *

 

“Hey. It’s just me,” Max announced as she walked through the front door of Father’s house the next day. “Did you get the information?” She felt a twinge of nervousness at seeing Logan again after everything that had happened between them. Her heart raced slightly and she found she didn’t know what to do with her hands. Max tended to avoid awkward encounters with ex-boyfriends like the plague, and now she had no idea how to act or talk. ‘ _What do I do? Pretend none of it ever happened? Make a joke? Grab the file and run?_ ’ She sighed.

 

Max’s stomach rumbled. It was nearly dinnertime, and whatever Logan was making for his supper smelled good. She wandered through the kitchen and into the dining room. She could hear a piano concerto playing on the stereo in the living room. The house was oddly still and dark. The only illumination came from the two lit candles on the dining room table. Max looked around in dismay. The table had been set for a romantic dinner for two with fine china and crystal goblets. A dozen fresh roses in a vase on the buffet perfumed the air. She heard Logan’s footsteps behind her. She whipped around to face him. “What’s this?” she demanded.

 

“I thought you might be hungry.” He gestured to the ice bucket at the end of the table. “I found a bottle of pre-Pulse Chardonnay. Join me for a glass?” He reached for the opener, an eager smile on his face.

 

She hugged her arms to her chest, uncertain how to respond. If Logan was harbouring any hopes that they would be reunited, he had to be disabused of it and quickly. For both their sakes. And yet, the Logan she used to know was exactly the type of guy who would make someone dinner, just out of simple courtesy. How many times had the transgenics raided his fridge and he’d never complained? Max desperately wished Original Cindy was nearby for consultation. Max had never been very adept at navigating her way through relationships. She hesitated, and then settled for stating the obvious. “Logan, I don’t have time for this.”

 

Hurt and disappointment flashed across his face. “Max, I just wanted to do something nice for you. You always liked my cooking. And I bet you haven’t had a decent meal in weeks.”

 

That stung. As if she wasn’t capable of taking care of herself without him around to keep an eye on her. “If I was in the mood for a romantic dinner, I’d have it with Alec,” she said bluntly, pointing at the table.

 

“I just wanted us to get back to the way things were between us. Before the virus, before Manticore. Before Alec got in the way.” He practically spat out his rival’s name. His lips curled into a faint sneer.

 

Max’s eyes narrowed. “Funny, I don’t see a time machine. Which is the only way we can go back to what we were. Now do you have that information for me or not?” ‘ _Why won’t he just let ‘me go? What did we have that was worth holding on to so tightly?_ ’

 

“Yeah, I have it,” he said sullenly. But he made no move to go fetch the file.

 

“Logan!” she said in exasperation. “You offered to help us.”

 

“I wanted us to spend some time together, Max. You used to like my company.”

 

‘ _This is exactly how it started before,_ ’ she realized. ‘ _Our entire relationship was about what **he**  wanted from me. I’ll make you dinner Max, if you do me a favour. I’ll help you find your family, if you drop everything and come running when I call. I’ll love you, if you become the person  **I**  want you to be… It was always about him._’

 

Max felt the bitter sting of disillusionment. Logan had always seemed far above her, a king among knaves. She had deeply admired his dedication to the Eyes Only cause and his willingness to help others without counting the cost to himself. She’d yearned to follow his lead and be something more than just the blind, cold, dutiful killer Manticore wanted her to be. Now his actions revealed the scheming selfishness that lay at the core of his being. She felt dirty by association. “You don’t help people because you expect something in return. You do it because it’s the right thing to do. You taught me that, remember?”

 

“I also taught you to only go after the bad guys,” he snapped, disdainfully.

 

“Which is why I need your help!” She threw up her hands. She seethed with anger that he would dare to look down on her for doing what she had to to protect her people, especially after the way he was behaving tonight. “Do you have the file or not? Because if you don’t, I’m outta here.”

 

“You need me, Max,” he insisted.

 

“Yeah. But that doesn’t mean I owe you a date in exchange. Or whatever else you were hoping for. I’m not gonna fall into that trap again, Logan. I’m done with our little quid pro quo deals. When did you ever hold up your end of the bargain? Either help us because it’s the right thing to do, Mr. Eyes Only, or don’t.” Max planted her hands on her hips and stared him down.

 

He stalked past her into the living room and snatched a file off the coffee table. He shoved it roughly into her hands. “He’s changed you,” he said bitterly.

 

“No. That’s the one thing Alec has never done. I only wish I could say the same about you.”

 

* * *

 

Max stormed into HQ and tossed the file on the table in front of Alec. “Whatever’s in this file had better be worth it!” she fumed, her dark eyes flashing with anger.

 

Alec forced away the smile of relief that tugged at his lips at the sight of her. He felt like leaping onto the table and dancing a jig. If the ride home on her baby hadn’t managed to calm Max down much, then Logan must have done something really stupid to piss her off. ‘ _I almost feel sorry for the guy. Well, actually, that’s not true. I WOULD feel sorry for the guy if his idiocy wasn’t self-imposed._ ’ He reached for the file and toyed with the cover without opening it. He watched Max carefully.

 

“You knew he was gonna try some cheap ploy to get me back. So why’d you let me go?” Max looked at Alec, a baffled expression on her face. She didn’t understand it. Considering how much animal DNA there was in their cocktails, she’d expected him to be more territorial.

 

Alec shrugged. “You are your own person, Max. I don’t own you.” But his eyes skidded away from hers as he said it.

 

Max felt her fury surge again, so thick it nearly choked her. How could Logan not know that simple truth when Alec already did, after only a year on the outside?

 

She seized the back of Alec’s head in both her hands and pulled his face to hers. She kissed him roughly, her lips grinding against his with bruising intensity, seeking a distraction from her anger and confusion. She wanted Alec to claim her and drive away all thoughts of Logan. But Alec’s lips remained deliberately soft and pliant under hers. He kissed her gently and brought one hand up to stroke her hair. Max felt her anger break like a wave against a rock. She softened her kiss and leaned into his touch. Alec’s arms tightened around her, and his kiss hovered on the edge of becoming something more than just comfort.

 

Max reluctantly released Alec’s lips and straightened with a sigh. They still had to deal with Witherspoon’s mission. She smiled briefly in apology and then retreated to the other side of the desk, too nervous to sit. “You open it,” she said, pointing to the file. “I can’t.”

 

Alec flipped open the file and quickly scanned the pages inside. Max anxiously paced the length of the table, her hands clenching and unclenching.

 

“Huh.” Alec looked up at Max, his brow furrowed.

 

“What? What is it? What does it say?” Max stood poised on the balls of her feet, her body instinctively taking a defensive position.

 

“Our guy’s an informant. He’s trading information on back room deals in exchange for immunity from prosecution. The contact is FBI.”

 

Max buried her face in her hand and moaned, then resumed pacing. She chewed on her bottom lip.

 

“Max,” Alec said quietly, “if you don’t stop pacing you’re gonna wear out the floor. You gotta calm down.”

 

“Calm down? Alec!,” she exploded. “How can I possibly calm down? We’re supposed to murder an innocent person in TWO DAYS!! What is there to be calm about?!” Max glared at Alec and then whirled around and continued to pace.

 

Alec moved around the desk and intercepted her path. Gently but firmly he grabbed her by the shoulders. “You’re so wound up you’re practically vibrating. Which means you’re not thinking straight. It’s gonna be ok.”

 

“You don’t know that.” Her lower lip trembled slightly.

 

Alec caught and held her gaze. “Yes I do. Max, I know exactly what we’re capable of. Ordinaries aren’t that clever. They see what they want to see. Fooling Witherspoon won’t be that hard.”

 

Max let out her pent-up breath in a rush. “You have a plan.”

 

Alec grinned. “Sorta. Don’t worry, I got it under control. Trust me?”

 

Max took a deep breath and nodded.

 

Just then there was a knock on the office door. Luke opened it slightly and poked his head through the gap. “Uh, boss, you got a minute?” he asked tentatively, torn between the need to report and the desire not to interrupt.

 

Alec gestured for him to come in and close the door.

 

Luke nervously shifted his weight back and forth. He stared fixedly at his shoes and refused to look up at his CO. Even though Alec had ordered him not to interfere with Lydecker’s night-time trawling through the database, he still felt as if he’d failed somehow. “Um, Deck’s been at it again.”

 

Max growled and leapt for the door. Alec snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him, her back pressed against his chest. “Temper, temper, Max.”

 

Max twisted around in his grasp to look up at him, an indignant look on her face.

 

He shook his head with a smile. “Un un.”

 

“Oh come on! You can’t be serious. He deserves a beating for this.”  
  


“And he’ll get one. Eventually. Just not tonight.”

 

“But it’s the perfect stress reliever,” she wheedled. “I thought you wanted me to relax?”

 

“Oh, I’m sure we can come up with other ways,” he teased, his eyes glinting.

 

Max threw up her hands in exasperation. “Why won’t you let me hit him? Just tell me that.”

 

“Because Deck still has a part to play. And he can’t do that if he’s in a coma in the ICU.” Alec turned his attention to Luke. By the look on his face, the transhuman was as puzzled and exasperated as Max. “So what was our friendly neighbourhood spy after this time?”

 

Luke frowned. “It’s weird. He bypassed tactics and weaponry and went straight to medical records. He was trying to access Max’s file.”

 

“MY file? What the hell for?” Max asked, puzzled.

 

“My guess is he wants to know what we know about your DNA,” Alec replied thoughtfully.

 

“But what does it matter now? The cult’s gone.”

 

“Deck apparently thinks it does.” Alec shrugged and then turned to Luke. “Pull her file. And change the passwords. All of them. He’ll expect them to be in rotation anyway, so it won’t cause any suspicion.”

 

Luke grinned in relief. “Sure thing, boss.” He retreated out of the office, glad to have a concrete task to do.

 

“I don’t like this,” Max grumbled.

 

“Don’t worry about it. Deck’s probably just mad that Sandeman kept him out of the loop.”

 

Max snorted. “Yeah right. Deck’s in a snit because he wasn’t in on Dr. Jeckyl’s master plan.”

 

“We’ll figure it out. Later. Right now we have an assassination to fake.”

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Some people may find certain aspects of the faked assassination gruesome. I don’t mean to be disrespectful to the dead or offend anyone; I’m simply trying to be realistic about what would be required to successfully fake someone’s death. I apologize in advance if it disturbs anyone. Blame it on watching too many crime shows on TV.

Blink sauntered in HQ the next morning, whistling cheerfully under his breath. He’d spent the night up a tree on surveillance duty outside the target’s house, and he looked like it. Small bits of bark clung to his clothes and a leaf was caught in his hair. He headed for the conference table where Alec, Max, Conner, Dix, Luke, and Jazz were huddled together discussing tactics. Max was slumped in her seat with a sour look on her face.

 

Blink grinned cheerfully at her and tossed a copy of the Weekly World News on the table in front of her. “Here, this oughtta cheer you up. Picked it up on my way in.”

 

On the cover of the tabloid was a photo of the six X-8 kids Sketchy had interviewed, standing amid the rubble and wreckage of Terminal City. Across the top in bold type screamed the headline, “TOY SOLDIERS! Government Turns Children into Killers!!”

 

Alec leaned over Max’s shoulder to read the article. He laid his hand on the back of her neck and idly traced patterns on her skin with his thumb. Max relaxed cat-like into his touch.

 

“It’s good,” Max said in surprise. “Every parent is gonna picture their own child in our place. Maybe they’ll think twice before screaming for our blood.”

 

“That was the plan,” Alec replied.

 

Max craned her neck to look up at him. “We owe Sketchy big time for this. He’s single-handedly revamping our reputation.”

 

“So we’ll send him a fruit basket,” Alec said with his incorrigible grin. He grabbed the newspaper and sauntered across the room to join Lydecker in the corner. He dropped the paper on the other man’s desk with the picture of the six genetically perfect, forlorn-looking children facing up. “Better not leave TC for a while. You’re every parent’s nightmare.”

 

Lydecker stared at Alec, his expression unreadable. Behind them, Dix flicked on the TV to a daytime news talk show. Revered Terry Caldwell was debating the transgenic issue with a human rights activist from Amnesty International. “Hey boss,” Dix called out, “it’s our least favourite bible-thumper.”

 

"These creatures are unnatural," the Reverend insisted. "They no more have a soul than a genetically modified tomato."

 

A small portion of the studio audience clapped vigorously in response. Several held up a giant banner painted with the words, “Transgenics are filth in the eyes of God.”

 

"Skin colour is a genetic modification," replied the human rights activist. "We do not persecute people, CHILDREN, over something they have no control over. The transgenics are just an extreme case. They didn’t ask to be made that way."

 

Some people in the audience clapped. Several more nodded thoughtfully in agreement.

 

"Which is precisely my point. These creatures were not created by God. They are abominations!"

 

"They saved this city from a terrorist attack. Hardly the work of the devil."

 

"They have no right to exist!" The Reverend’s face turned bright red and his eyes bugged out of his head in self-righteous indignation. Compared to the calm, restrained activist, the Revered looked fanatical and more than slightly deranged.

 

Max turned away from the TV to answer her ringing cell phone. As she suspected, it was a very annoyed Witherspoon.

 

"Did I not make myself perfectly clear after the last incident?" he hissed. "You were NOT to speak to the press."

 

" **I**  didn’t," Max replied. "The reporter talked to a bunch of kids about how horrible our lives were like at Manticore. There isn’t a single word in that article about the terms of our deal. So take a deep breath and calm down before you have a stroke."

 

"You are on very thin ice, 452. I suggest you watch your step."

 

“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered as she hung up. She glanced over at Alec. “He’s pissed. You sure Sketch is safe from his goons?”

 

Alec draped his arm around her shoulder and tucked her against his side. “Sketchy’ll be fine. They can’t touch him. If they did, every reporter in the country would be all over the story.”

 

“But you still got watchers out, right? Just in case.”

 

“Yep.”

 

* * *

 

"Mission status?" Witherspoon barked into the phone.

 

Deck hesitated slightly before answering. "On target."

 

"You sound less than convinced. Are they refusing to comply with the deadline?"

 

"No."

 

"Then what’s the problem?"

 

"Let’s just say I find their compliance somewhat…suspicious," Deck replied vaguely.

 

"They were trained to be compliant."

 

"Yes, they were. But this isn’t Manticore. As I told the committee, my kids are evolving. They’re starting to think for themselves."

 

"I don’t have time to debate their psychological evolution. Get to the point, Colonel Lydecker. What exactly do you suspect? A hidden agenda?"

 

"It’s possible. I don’t know. Yet."

 

Witherspoon snarled something under his breath. "Find out what they’re up to. In the meantime, I’m putting watchers on the target. The transgenics better complete the mission as ordered, or they will regret it. I expect you to make that perfectly clear to them, Colonel. You are their superior officer. Exert your authority. They exist on the committee’s sufferance. If they dare to step out of line, they will be eliminated." He slammed the phone down.

 

Jazz ripped the headphones off and swore aloud every foul oath she could think of. Lydecker was on to them, and now Witherspoon was suspicious too. She grabbed the tape and hurried off to inform Alec.

 

* * *

 

The target, James Miller, lived in an expensive neighbourhood overlooking the ocean. Curved driveways led to stone homes that were tucked out of sight behind old-growth trees and high fences. Miller’s house wasn’t the most palatial on the street, but it was obvious just from looking at it that he wasn’t short of funds. He certainly lived better than ought to be possible on his salary.

 

Max and Alec glided from shadow to shadow down the dark street. Conner, the weapons specialist, and a lithe brunette known as Lizzie followed soundlessly behind. All four transgenics were dressed in unrelieved black. The girls wore identical body-skimming cat suits and the guys had on cargo pants and tight turtlenecks. They blended completely into the night.

 

They paused three houses down from their target and crouched behind a long, high bush. The thick leaves hid them from Witherspoon’s agents, who were watching from inside a plain, grey van advertising home renovations that was parked across the street from Miller’s place.

 

At Alec’s signal, Conner reached around the end of the bush and pushed aside two loose boards in the fence to reveal a gap just large enough to crawl through. Blink had scouted out the best route the night before and created holes in each fence between the bush and Miller’s back door. Conner wriggled through the gap first. Together he and Lizzie manoeuvred a heavy, oblong bag through the hole. Lizzie squeezed in after, and then the two X-5s disappeared into the night with their burden.

 

Alec and Max continued skulking down the street. They paused briefly outside Miller’s gate, giving Witherspoon’s team the opportunity to note their presence. Although it would have been child’s play for the transgenics to get in and out without being obvious about it, the whole point of the charade was to let Witherspoon see them obeying orders.

 

They silently jumped the fence and scuttled across the lawn. The house was dark and still, as if its owner was trying to pretend no one was home. Max swiftly picked the lock on the back door and she and Alec slipped inside. They left the door ajar for Conner and Lizzie, who were still making their slow way across the neighbours’ lawns.

 

Max and Alec tiptoed silently through the house to the den, following the sound of the TV. They found James Miller slumped in a leather armchair with his feet propped up on the coffee table. He was nursing a rather large glass of scotch and idly flipping through the channels on his big screen TV.

 

“Hey mister, wanna buy some life insurance?” Alec asked as they sauntered into the room.

 

Miller’s eyes bugged out of his head at the sudden appearance of two black-clad strangers in his house. He leaped to his feet and raced to the desk in the corner of the room. He yanked open the middle drawer hard enough to send it crashing to the floor and fumbled through the mess of papers and office supplies. He seized a gun and waved it in their general direction. “Stay, stay where you are or I’ll shoot. I mean it!”

 

As a threat it wasn’t very convincing, given that Miller’s voice had gone dry with fear and his hand was shaking so badly that it was more likely he’d injure himself rather than either of the intruders.

 

Max glanced over at Alec and rolled her eyes. Alec grinned and with a courtly half-bow he gestured for her to go ahead. She blurred across the room and snatched the gun out of Miller’s hand. He gasped and turned dead white. With a distasteful expression she tossed the gun to Alec. He automatically checked the clip and then tucked it into his waistband.

 

“Oh stop snivelling,” she snapped at Miller. “You aren’t dead yet.”

 

Miller gathered the shreds of his tattered dignity around him. “Who are you? What do you want?”

 

“Certain corrupt officials in what passes for our national government these days are rather pissed off that you’ve been snitching on them to the FBI,” Alec explained calmly. “So they sent us here to kill you.”

 

Miller gulped noisily, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. His eyes darted around the room, looking frantically for an escape, but the two transgenics stood between him and the door.

 

“Nah, nah, don’t worry. We only kill bad guys which, unless you’ve been cheating on your mistress, your taxes, and your golf game, you aren’t.” Alec smiled reassuringly.

 

“So here’s the deal,” Max cut in impatiently. “We’re gonna fake your death and send you far, far away and you’re gonna keep your mouth shut. It’s got you in enough trouble already.”

 

“But I can’t just leave!,” he protested. “The FBI need my testimony to-”

 

“Hey! We’re sticking our own necks in the noose to save your sorry ass,” Max said angrily. “If you do the noble thing and keep on blabbing, the government’s gonna know you aren’t dead. And you won’t be the only one they’ll go after.”

 

Alec took a menacing step forward, closing the distance between him and Miller. He still wore a polite smile, but his eyes were hard and he pinned Miller with his gaze. “Not many people get a second chance at life. No one gets a third.” Alec’s quiet, deliberate tone of voice was more frightening than any threat shouted at gunpoint.

 

Miller gulped and nodded vigorously in understanding. He sighed in audible relief when Alec released his gaze.

 

“Hey boss,” Conner called from the doorway, “we’re ready.”

 

Miller yelped in surprise at the second intrusion into his home. His eyes went wide when he realized the two newcomers were carrying what could only be a body bag. He scrubbed at his face with a trembling hand and shook his head in disbelief at what was happening to him.

 

Max shuddered in distaste at the sight of the bag. “I’d just like to say once more, yuck!”

 

Alec sighed. “If the cops don’t find a body in the car, they aren’t gonna believe the target’s really dead. Which is the whole point of this, remember.”

 

“Yeah, but the poor guy.”

 

“He’s dead, Max. I don’t think he cares one way or the other. Besides, he was heading for a pauper’s grave. At least this way he gets a proper burial.”

 

“Under someone else’s name!”

 

“Well, it’s better than Anonymous.” Alec turned to Miller and held out his hand. “I need your signet ring.”

 

“Why?” He unconsciously shielded the ring from view with his other hand.

 

“So the cops can identify the body,” Alec said patiently. The man was clearly going into shock.

 

“But this ring has been in my family for four generations,” he protested.

 

“Would you rather trade places with John Doe here? Because that’s your other option.”

 

The target glanced at the body bag and then hastily looked away as Conner knelt to unzip it. He glanced around the room as if seeking an opinion from the walls and then sighed and slipped the ring off his finger. Alec took it from him and tossed it to Conner.

 

“But, um, won’t they run dental records and find out it’s not me?” Miller asked nervously.

 

Alec grinned. “Already replaced your x-rays with Nameless Joe’s here. Don’t worry, we’ve got it covered. We need this to go off without a hitch as badly as you do.” Alec shrugged out of the backpack he was carrying and tossed it to Conner. “Don’t forget this.”

 

Conner grinned and slung the backpack on his back, and then he and Lizzie picked up the body bag and carried it out to the garage. Alec flopped down on the couch and turned on the TV.

 

Miller cleared his throat nervously. “Shouldn’t we, um, be going now?”

 

“Nope. Not til after midnight,” Alec replied without looking up from the TV screen.

 

“Huh? Why?”

 

“Because that’s when you usually leave to meet your contact. You do anything out of the ordinary tonight and it’ll look suspicious. Which, for the record, is not a good thing. So sit down.” He pointed to the armchair Miller had been sitting in earlier. “Hey, you got any popcorn?”

 

Miller stared at him in disbelief and then stumbled across the room and collapsed into the chair. He reached for his scotch, desperately needing something to dull his frazzled nerves.

 

Max snatched the glass away and moved it out of his reach. “Un un. Bad idea.” It would be hard enough to sneak him out of there without him getting drunk too. She unzipped her vest and pulled out his new passport and birth certificate. “Here. Meet the new you. Might as well get used to it.” She handed him the documents and then curled up on the couch next to Alec.

 

Miller stared numbly at the proof of his new identity, his hand trembling. The papers fell from his limp fingers and fluttered to the floor. Miller buried his face in his hands.

 

Max and Alec exchanged a guilty look. They were rearranging Miller’s entire life and he had no say in any of it. Alec shrugged fatalistically. “No choice. It’s gotta be done if he wants to live,” he whispered softly.

 

Max nodded. All things considered, he was taking it remarkably well.

 

Conner and Lizzie returned from the garage. She tossed Alec the detonator. Conner stared wistfully at the big screen TV. Lizzie nudged him in the ribs and jerked her head in the direction of the back door. Conner sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets, but he followed her out. They left the way Max and Alec had arrived. In the dark they looked enough like Max and Alec to fool Witherspoon’s watchers, provided they moved fast enough so no one got a close look.

 

Time crawled, but eventually the clock struck 1 AM. Max led Miller across the lawn and through the waiting gap in the fence. Alec gave them a five-minute head start and then turned on the car, put it in gear, and gave it a shove so it started rolling down the driveway. He grabbed the detonator out of his pocket as he raced for the fence. He pressed the button and Miller’s car exploded in a ball of flame that lit up the night.

 

Alec hesitated briefly. He stared mesmerized at the blaze, a grim expression on his face as he remembered a different car bomb, a different victim. With an effort of will he wrenched himself out of the memory and dived through the hole in the fence. Working swiftly he moved the loose boards back into position and then blurred across the lawn. He was crouching beside Max and Miller before the first of Miller’s curious neighbours stumbled out of their homes to gawk at the flaming wreck in Miller’s driveway. In all the commotion, no one noticed the trio hiding in the shadows behind the bush.

 

Max’s face split into a huge grin of delight at the success of their plan. Together she and Alec hustled Miller down the street and disappeared into the night.

 


	16. Chapter 16

Lydecker leaned back in the chair in Alec’s office and stared reflectively at the buff-coloured folder. He fiddled with his cell phone in one hand, turning it end over end, while the fingers of his other hand drummed rhythmically on the desk.

 

In front of him on Alec’s desk lay the proof that his kids were playing a very dangerous game. More dangerous perhaps than they realized. The government wanted the target dead, not merely out of the picture. Did they really think they could just smuggle the man out of the country under an assumed name, and no one would be the wiser?

 

‘ _A year out of Manticore and they think they know it all._ ’ He snorted. ‘ _They need me, damn it, to navigate their way through the political waters. But will they admit that? Hell no._ ’ He seethed with anger as he remembered the humiliating way they’d ignored him while planning this little subterfuge of theirs. Once upon a time they’d jumped to attention at the mere mention of his name. Now they ignored him as if he were old and useless, with nothing to contribute.

 

Witherspoon would gladly put him back in control if asked. But he’d do it at gunpoint, and he would kill a lot of them just to prove his point. And then he and the committee would be there, always at Deck’s shoulder, tugging on the reins of power.

 

Did the world really need another Manticore? How long would his kids survive without it?

 

You play with fire, you’re going to get burned.

 

The harsh ring of his cell phone interrupted his thoughts. Hesitantly Deck brought the phone to his ear, his mind still flip-flopping between the desire for power and the need to protect his kids. "Lydecker."

 

"Looks like your intuition was wrong, Colonel," Witherspoon said jovially.

 

"Sir?"

 

"I’ve just been informed by our team on the ground that the target has been eliminated. Maybe you don’t know your kids as well as you think you do, hmm?"

 

Lydecker stared at the open file in front of him, and grudgingly realized Witherspoon spoke the truth, even though he didn’t realize it. ‘ _The target HAS been eliminated as a threat._ ’

 

"Yes," he agreed. "As you say, the mission was successful."

                                                                                                                  

"The committee appreciates your warning, even though it proved to be unnecessary. Loyalty does not go unrewarded." Witherspoon hung up before Lydecker could form a reply.

 

“Good choice,” Alec said calmly from the shadows.

 

Startled, Lydecker’s head snapped up at the unexpected sound of Alec’s voice. He threw himself out of the chair and spun around. Alec stood in the doorway, blocking Deck’s retreat. The transgenic crossed his arms and cocked his head to one side. He was watching Deck with a polite smile on his lips, but it didn’t touch his eyes.

 

Deck mastered his shock and adopted an equally blank expression. “You disobeyed a direct order.”

 

“Sometimes orders are wrong. Sometimes they need to be disobeyed.” Alec’s eyes bored into Lydecker’s. The ghost of Rachel Berrisford seemed to hang between them.

 

Lydecker went on the offensive. “What do you think Witherspoon is going to do when he discovers you double-crossed him?”

 

Alec shrugged, unconcerned. “The police will identify the body as that of James Miller. So the only way Witherspoon will know the truth is if you tell him. That makes you a liability.”

 

Deck shivered at the bluntness of Alec’s words. For the first time, he was actually afraid of one of his kids. As he’d told Witherspoon, this wasn’t Manticore. There were no friendly guards outside the door, ready with tazers and the threat of solitary confinement, or worse, Psy Ops. There was only him and Alec, and Alec’s hatred.

 

Alec’s eyes glinted with morbid amusement, as if he could hear the thoughts running through Deck’s mind. “I think it’s time we talked about your role here, Deck. We know Witherspoon expects you to take over sooner or later. And knowing you, you’re just itching for the chance. But it isn’t going to happen. We won’t be your playthings again.”

 

“The government has a vested interest in you. But only if they believe they are in control. Without me, your position is precarious.” Deck forced his voice to remain flat and even, with no trace of the fear that churned in his stomach.

 

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Alec’s calm voice belied the predatory look in his eyes. “In case you haven’t noticed, public opinion is changing. We’re no longer the monster under the bed.”

 

“You really think the public is going to accept you?” Deck asked in disbelief.

 

“No. But they may learn to tolerate our existence.”

 

Deck snorted. “Public opinion is a thin shield to hide behind.”

 

“But it’ll do for now. Manticore will never exist again. Accept it. The government will, as long as they get what they want. So tell me why we need you.”

 

Although there was no outward sign of it, Deck knew that Alec’s muscles were tensed and coiled, like a hunting cat’s before it pounces on its prey. He shifted so that his weight was evenly balanced on both feet, knowing even as he did so that he’d never be able to defend himself against the X-5. His eyes never left Alec’s. “I have contacts-”

 

“So do a lot of people,” Alec interrupted, thinking of Logan. If everything went according to plan, they’d never have to rely on the hacker again. Provided, of course, that he could keep Deck from stabbing them in the back. “Right now, you’re more trouble than you’re worth.”

 

“I have answers to questions about your DNA that you haven’t even thought to ask yet.” Deck could only hope that was still true and that they hadn’t yet tracked down Sandeman. From what he’d seen in the medical records, he thought he had a fair chance of bargaining his knowledge for his life.

 

“Ah, now we’re talking.” Alec relaxed marginally. “I’m offering you a compromise. A seat at the table, under MY terms, or you’re gone.”

 

“And what are your terms, exactly?”

 

“Isn’t it obvious? Pick a side and stick to it. Don’t try to play both ends against the middle. You can’t defeat us and you can’t outsmart us. So play nice.”

 

“You kids are my life,” Deck said softly.

 

Alec snorted. “Don’t get all teary-eyed on me, Deck. This isn’t a Hollywood movie.” He leaned forward menacingly. “Everyone’s entitled to one mistake. Warning Witherspoon was yours. Betray us again, and you’ll get a first-hand taste of reindoctrination.”

 

Lydecker flinched and instinctively recoiled from the venom in Alec’s voice. Alec advanced into the room and Lydecker shifted position, keeping the bulk of the desk between him and Alec. It was a futile gesture and he knew it, since it would barely slow Alec’s charge, but hope springs eternal in the human heart.

 

Alec bared his teeth in a wolfish grin, amused by Lydecker’s feeble attempts to prolong what he obviously feared might be his last few seconds of life. ‘ _Deck really doesn’t know us half as well as he thinks he does._ ’

 

Alec threw himself into his desk chair, tilting it backwards at a dangerous angle as he propped his legs on the desk. He cocked his head towards the open door in a clear dismissal. Lydecker gaped at him in surprise and then summoned his dignity and walked slowly across the room. Alec could tell by the stiffness in his neck and shoulders that Lydecker was anticipating a surprise attack while his back was turned.

 

Alec had never revelled in other people’s fear, which he often thought was the fundamental difference between him and his psychotic twin, but still he had to admit it was gratifying to see that fear in Lydecker now. For twenty years the Colonel had held their lives in his hands, to use or shatter as he saw fit. The tables had turned so swiftly and completely that it was dizzying. They were no longer his slaves. They were finally free.

 

Freedom. It was a strange and elusive thing. Yeah, they were free from Manticore, free to command their own lives, free to discover who and what they wanted to be. But they were still on the outside of things, still confined to base. Tolerating something and embracing it are two very different things. There would never be a transhuman drill team marching proudly down Fifth Avenue.

 

And yet, he wouldn’t exchange the precariousness and uncertainty of their lives for the dubious shelter Manticore had offered. None of them would. They had names now, not just numbers, and a place to call their own in this world. It was all anyone could reasonably ask for out of life. It was more than they deserved, and at the same time, the very least of what they were owed.

 

Alec yawned and decided it was much too late at night to be pondering the great mysteries of life, destiny, and happiness. He sifted through the damning evidence of their counterplot, automatically ticking each item off on a mental list to make certain none had walked out the door with Lydecker. Satisfied they were all present and accounted for, he swept them off his desk and into the garbage, reminding himself to burn them in the morning.

 

The only item left on his desk was a folded-over scrap of paper. Curious, he flipped it open to reveal a message scrawled in Dix’s messy handwriting that Leda wanted to see him.

 

Alec went still as stone and stared at the five simple words that had the power to change his world. They seemed to leap off the page at him and dance before his eyes. He fiddled with the sheet, turning it this way and that, as if it were an omen he could decipher if only he found the right way to read it.

 

Temptation bit hard. It was late. It would be so easy to wait until morning and keep Max for one last night before either of them had to face the fact that she now had a choice.

 

 _‘Coward,_ ’ he mocked himself bitterly. ‘ _What are you so afraid of? You’ve been on intimate terms with Grief and Loss for years now. Pain and Loneliness are practically your brothers. So get it over already. Rip the band aid off with one swift yank._ ’

 

He sighed once and then forced his body into motion. He tossed the crumpled note into the garbage and marched resolutely out of his office and across Terminal City. The windows of the infirmary blazed with light, beckoning him to his fate. He hesitated for a heartbeat on the doorstep, and then forced himself inside.

 

Leda was hunched over her microscope, peering intently at whatever was on the slide. Whole sections of her hair had spilled from her ponytail to fall untidily around her face. She impatiently blew a strand out of her eyes in a puff of air. She seemed impossibly young to have solved the riddle of the love bug virus.

 

“I got your message,” Alec said quietly, his voice bland and carefully controlled.

 

Leda looked up and nodded. She watched him for several seconds in silence before twisting around on her stool to reach behind her for a small syringe. She held it out to Alec, her expression solemn.

 

Despite knowing it was coming, Alec was still taken aback to see it right in front of him. “You found it already? It’s been what, three days?” Even as he asked the question he knew he was stalling.

 

“Less. What can I say? I’m smarter than the average bear.” Leda saw Alec hesitate in the act of reaching out, his arm straying only a few inches from his side. “Do you want me to give it to her?” she asked gently.

 

“No.” His arm snapped up and he took the syringe from her outstretched hand. He shoved it in his jacket pocket and spun on his heel to leave, but he paused with his hand on the doorknob. “You sure it’ll work?” he asked without turning around.

 

“Yeah. It’ll work. No more imminent death on contact.”

 

He nodded once, and then marched out of the infirmary. Without thinking about it he headed across TC to the solitude of his office. He shut his office door softly and then collapsed into his chair. He set the syringe precisely in the middle of his desk and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his chin resting on the edge of the desk, and stared at the answer to all Max’s prayers.

 

His trance was disturbed by the sound of Max calling his name softly. Whether it was a long while or a short while later, Alec didn’t know. He scooped up the syringe and hid it in his jacket pocket, and then slid out of his office to join her in the hallway.

 

“I take it our friend made it safely to the border?”

 

“Yeah,” Max answered dully.

 

Alec pulled her into a loose embrace. “Hey, what’s with the frown?”

 

Max sidestepped the question. “I need to go for a drive. Come with me?”

 

He knew without being told that she wanted to stand on the top of the Needle, needing the perspective its great height always brought to her problems. He nodded and fell into step beside her. It was only fitting that the High Place should serve as the backdrop for this. They’d forged their friendship there. It was where they’d both gone to mourn their losses and lick their wounds. Where they’d found a measure of peace, and someone to share their burdens with.

 

Max drove them on her Ninja. Alec wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes, and lost himself in the sensation of her body pressed tightly against his, probably for the last time. Neither spoke as they trooped up the stairs. Max sank down onto the cold metal, but Alec paced nervously along the rim, staring out at the city.

 

She sighed and hugged her knees to her chest. “Tonight sucked.”

 

Alec glanced over his shoulder at her. “You have a strange definition of sucks. We saved an innocent man’s life tonight. I think that counts as a victory.”

 

“Is this what our lives are gonna be? Cross and double-cross, always trying to stay three steps ahead of Witherspoon?”

 

“Well, it shouldn’t be too hard considering we’re twice as smart as him. Look on the bright side, Max. At least we’re not enemies of the state anymore.”

 

“Yeah, I suppose,” she said glumly. “It still sucks.”

 

“Don’t tell me you prefer your crappy, minimum wage job to this. Cuz if that’s what it is, I could toss in a few ‘bip bip bips’ now and then.”

 

“Don’t even think about it,” she warned with a small smile on her lips.

 

Alec stuck his hands in his pockets and fingered the syringe. He looked over at her, his expression serious.

 

Max sensed the shift in his mood. She cocked her head and examined him, trying to read his expression in the dim starlight. “Alec, talk to me. Something’s up.”

 

Rather than answer, he simply pulled the syringe out of his pocket and held it towards her on his open palm as an offering.

 

She stared at it, and then slowly rose to her feet and walked over to join him, her eyes never leaving his hand. “The cure?” she whispered in disbelief. Her face was blank with shock. “How did you…Where did you…” Her voice trailed off. She wondered if somehow she’d fallen asleep and this was only a dream, like all the others that had plagued her sleep for months after returning for Manticore. She and Logan had searched for this for so long, waiting and hoping and praying for this moment, that it felt unreal. “How?” she whispered.

 

“Leda’s been working on it.”

 

Alec’s voice sounded like it came from far away. ‘ _Leda?_ _**Leda**  found the cure?_’ she thought in disbelief. She nearly slapped her forehead at her own stupidity. ‘ _Duh._ _She was trained by Manticore. Why didn’t we think of that? All those months searching for a human tech, when she was right in front of us. God, what a waste.’_

 

“You asked her to,” she said. It was a statement, not a question. Finally she looked up at him, confusion clearly written in her eyes. “Why did you do this?”

 

“Don’t you want it?” he asked, dodging her question with his own.

 

“Well, yeah. The world’s a better place with Eyes Only in it, and I don’t want to kill him if we accidentally touch.” Her eyes lit up with genuine delight as the reality of it finally penetrated her muddled brain. She smiled as the tears slid down her face, not knowing whether to cry in relief or laugh with glee. With this cure, Logan’s would be one less death she’d have on her head. One less life she’d be held accountable for.

 

“Thank you for doing this,” she whispered. She reached out with one trembling hand and took the syringe from him. She curled her fingers around it and clutched it close to her chest.

 

Alec felt his heart splinter at the look of joy and relief in her eyes. He turned away, back towards the city lights, but he couldn’t see them through the tears that filled his eyes and threatened to spill down his face. ‘ _Soldiers don’t cry,_ ’ he told himself fiercely. He took a deep breath and forced his voice steady. “I’ll find my own way home.”

 

“What?” Max said, baffled. Her head whipped up to look at Alec.

 

“Well, don’t you want to go to him? Now that you can?”

 

Max could see that his entire body was tense, as if he were bracing himself against a blow he knew was coming but couldn’t see. It didn’t make any sense to her. ‘ _What the hell is going on? Why does he look so afraid?_ ’ she wondered. ‘ _Doesn’t he know things are over between me and Logan? Or is there something else he’s not telling me?_ ’

 

She looked at him in bewilderment. Alec was usually so easy to read, but for once she had no idea what he was feeling. “I’m not in love with him. That’s not what this is about.” But her confusion made her voice more tentative than that sort of denial required.

 

Alec flinched at her tone, mistaking her confusion for a lack of conviction. He refused to turn and look at her, not wanting to see her make her choice and walk away.

 

“Alec, I mean it. I’m in love with YOU, not him.” Suddenly something terrible occurred to her, a thought so horrid that it left her weak and trembling. Maybe Alec was tired of her. Maybe he didn’t really love her, didn’t want to be with her, and giving her the cure was his way of telling her to go be with Logan. She trembled and choked back a sob.

 

“Is this some kind of a message?” She swallowed hard and forced the words out past the lump in her throat. “Do you want me to go back to him? Is that what this is all about?”

 

He hunched over as if he’d been punched in the stomach. He whirled around and looked at her, his eyes wide with panic. “No!” he whimpered. “The thought of you with him kills me.”

 

Relief coursed through her and stilled her trembling. Anger followed in its wake. “Then why?” she demanded.

 

He shrugged. “It’s complicated.”

 

“So explain it to me.” She planted her hands on her hips to keep from reaching out and shaking him. She could see him closing down, shutting her out. It terrified her. “Don’t slam the door on me, Alec. Let me in. Tell me what’s going on.”

 

Alec dropped his gaze and ran a nervous hand through his hair. He sighed and then said in a deadened voice, “if I’m gonna lose you, I’d rather see it coming. I don’t wanna wake up every morning wondering if today’s the day you’re gonna leave me. It’s killing me.”

 

She gaped at him, shocked that he harboured such doubts. She opened to mouth to voice an automatic denial, but no words came out. With a flash of guilt she admitted to herself that she’d never given him a reason not to expect the worst. The truth was she’d always been a bitch to him. No wonder he had difficulty believing that she truly loved him for himself. After several long seconds she finally found her voice. “I’m not going anywhere, Alec. I finally found my home. I love you.”

 

“Why? Why do you love me? Tell me, because I can’t figure it out. I’m a screw up. A mistake.” He stared at her, his eyes haunted and dark with pain.

 

Max closed her eyes against the self-loathing in his voice as he tossed her words back at her. All the insults she showered at him echoed in her head, hammering at her. ‘ _Can’t you do anything right? You’re a screw-up. A mistake. I’m sorry I inflicted you on the world._ ’

 

Hot tears of shame filled her eyes and flowed unchecked down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Alec. Oh god, I’m so sorry.” Her heart felt like it would break. She’d wounded him terribly, poisoned him against himself, and all because she’d been too afraid to admit her feelings for him. The words she should have said came pouring out of her in a torrent.

 

“I had no right to call you that. God knows I’ve made more mistakes than you have. You are NOT a screw-up, or a mistake. I was wrong. You are the strongest, sweetest, best person I know. No one else could hold us together and make it work.”

 

He shook his head in denial but she cut across before he could voice an objection. “No, damn it, listen to me,” she insisted. “You’ve always been there. You’ve saved my life more times than I can count. No matter what stupid thing I did, you were there to watch my back and save my ass. You’ve never let me lie to myself. You’ve always forced me to face the truth. Even when I didn’t want to hear it.”

 

Alec’s gaze remained stubbornly fixed on his shoes. She moved closer and laid her hands on either side of his face, forcing him to look at her, forcing herself to meet his eyes when all she wanted to do was run away in shame. “I love you. You take me for what I am. You’ve never asked me to change, become someone else. Do you know how precious that is?  **I** do.”

 

She gave him a tremulous smile. “I can’t promise you I won’t get hurt or killed. Our lives are too dangerous for that. But I promise I will never walk away. How could I? You complete me.”

 

Alec crushed her to him and buried his face in her hair. She burrowed into his arms, not caring in the least that his embrace threatened to crack her ribs. She turned her head and pressed her wet cheek against his. “I love you,” she repeated. “I choose you.”

 

She felt his body shudder at her words and she whimpered softly, her guilt like a scourge inside, hot and painful. He stroked her hair, offering her comfort even in the midst of his own pain.Putting her needs before his, as always. ‘ _I don’t deserve such a gift._ ’ She clutched him tighter.

 

The moon travelled the sky while they held onto each other.

 

Much later he pulled away. Gently he reached for her hand and turned it palm up. Her fingers uncurled to reveal the syringe. Dark eyes met hazel.

 

“I don’t need it,” she said softly. “I’m not going back to him. Throw it away.”

 

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Seattle needs Eyes Only.”

 

She anxiously scanned his face. The pain had faded from his eyes. Whether he believed her or not she couldn’t tell, but it was clear he’d found a measure of peace. She nodded slowly and then shrugged out of her jacket and pushed up the sleeve. Alec took the syringe from her and uncapped it. They both watched as the sharp point pricked the thin skin of her elbow. She sighed softly as the cure slid into her vein.

 

She held out her hand and Alec and linked his fingers in hers.

 

“Take me home,” she whispered.

 

 

**FIN**


End file.
